Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Heart Stuffed
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a good oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Wash the heart thoroughly.
Stuff the heart with the suet, parsley, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and egg, mixing well.
Bake
Place the stuffed heart on a baking tin.
Cover it with pieces of dripping and greased paper.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven, basting constantly while cooking.
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.
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Parsley + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,765 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Pepper + eggtop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Pepper and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 50,580 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg
- Binds the stuffing so it holds together inside the heart.
- Breadcrumbs
- Absorb moisture and give the stuffing body and a soft texture.
- Suet
- Adds fat that keeps the stuffing moist and flavourful during baking.
- Dripping
- Coats the outside with fat, promoting browning and keeping the heart moist.
The step that matters
Basting constantly while baking. Frequent basting with melted fat keeps the surface from drying out and helps it brown evenly. Lean muscle like heart dries quickly, so skipping basting can leave the meat tough.
“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.
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