Why it works: Veal and ham are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,264 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Yeal and Ham Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the rolls
Cut the veal into thin slices.
Place a piece of ham on each slice and roll them up.
Assemble the pie
Lay the rolls in a pie dish.
Season with salt and pepper.
Slice the hard-boiled eggs and lay them on top.
Pour the jelly stock over the rolls.
Cover with flaky pastry and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Veal + hamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,264 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Ham + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Veal + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,049 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Ham + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,058 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Veal + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,845 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal
- Forms the main meat body of the pie, cooking tender when rolled thinly and baked in liquid.
- Cooked ham
- Adds savoury flavour inside each roll, contrasting with the mild veal.
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Add richness and a firm, sliced texture layered across the top of the pie.
- Jelly stock
- Provides moisture during baking and sets to a savoury jelly as the pie cools.
- Flaky pastry
- Encloses the filling and browns to a crisp, flaky crust in the oven.
The step that matters
Pouring in the jelly stock. Jelly stock keeps the veal moist during baking and sets as it cools. Too little liquid can leave the meat dry, while the gelatine needs the pie to cool fully before slicing.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
You might also like
Veal Patties50 recipes
Beef, Mutton, or Veal Broth6 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.