Why it works: Pepper and parsley 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 ↓
Stuffed Tenderloin
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Trim and wipe the tenderloins.
Cut lengthwise into three or four pieces, spreading them out to about ½ inch thick.
Sprinkle the tenderloins with salt and cayenne pepper.
Spread one piece with the bread crumb mixture.
Place the other tenderloin over this.
Tie the tenderloins securely or sew along the edges.
Bake and serve
Place the stuffed tenderloin in a baking pan with a little dripping.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45 to 60 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with 1 tablespoon of dripping mixed with ½ cup boiling water.
Serve with brown gravy and red currant jelly.
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.
-
Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Parsley + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Bread + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,588 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Bread + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,964 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
- Tenderloins
- Form the main body of the dish, cooked and sliced to be tender and juicy when baked.
- Stale bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and hold the stuffing together, giving it body inside the roll.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, carrying flavour through the stuffing and helping the surface brown.
The step that matters
Tying or sewing the tenderloins. If the layers are not closed firmly, the stuffing can leak out and dry during baking. Secure edges keep the filling moist and the roll in shape while it cooks.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, pepper, butter):
- Parsleythe original
- Sagefits about as well
- Thymefits less well
- Nutmegfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against bread, pepper, butter. 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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