Why it works: Jerusalem artichoke and cream work together. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 182 recipes. Both carry octanal, which smells fat, soap. The science ↓
Jerusalem Artichoke, or Palestine Sottf
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the artichokes
Wash and peel the Jerusalem artichokes, then place them in spring water to prevent discoloration.
Boil the artichokes in water for 10 minutes, then slice them into the boiling stock.
Stew the sliced artichokes in the stock for 15 to 20 minutes.
Finish the stew
Press the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan.
Add 1½ pints of additional stock, season with salt and cayenne, and skim well.
Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in 1 pint of heavy cream.
Serve immediately.
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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Jerusalem artichoke + creamtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together182 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
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Jerusalem artichoke + peppertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together210 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Veal + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,049 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Pepper + creamtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together21,449 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Jerusalem artichoke + vealtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together55 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl decanoate (grape, waxy).
Pepper and cream barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 21,449 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
- Jerusalem artichokes
- Provide the main body and starchy thickening of the stew once cooked and pressed.
- Veal stock
- Supplies the savoury liquid base that the artichokes cook and flavour in.
- Heavy cream
- Adds richness and a smooth, velvety texture to the finished stew.
The step that matters
Press the mixture through a fine sieve. Pressing the cooked artichokes breaks them down and releases their starch, which thickens the stew and gives it a smooth body; skipping or rushing this leaves it grainy and thin.
Swap the jerusalem artichoke
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, pepper, cream):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits about as well
- Carrotfits about as well
- Jerusalem artichokethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, pepper, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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