Why it works: Clove and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,768 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
Shrimp Patties or Bouchees
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Remove the shells from the shrimps.
Bone and finely chop the anchovies.
Mix the anchovies with the shrimps, and season with mace and cloves.
Moisten the mixture with white wine.
Make the patties
Roll out the puff pastry to ½ inch thick and cut into 2-inch rounds.
Cut halfway through the middle of each round with a 1-inch cutter.
Brush the rounds with beaten egg yolk and bake at 400°F (200°C).
Heat the shrimp mixture in a saucepan until hot.
Remove the top piece from the baked patties, scoop out the inside, and fill with the shrimp mixture.
Serve
Cover with the small rounds of pastry, arrange on a hot dish with a folded napkin, garnish with fried parsley, and serve.
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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Clove + parsleytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,768 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Mace + clovetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,400 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
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Clove + white winetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,715 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Mace + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,268 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
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White wine + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,890 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Shrimps
- Form the main filling, providing the savory body and flavor of the patties.
- Anchovies
- Add a salty, savory depth that enriches the shrimp filling.
- White wine
- Moistens the filling, adding moisture and a light acidic brightness.
- Puff pastry
- Forms the flaky, crisp shell that holds the filling.
- Egg yolk
- Brushed on the pastry to promote even browning and a glossy finish.
The step that matters
Cut halfway through the middle of each round. Cutting only partway through the pastry leaves a lid that can be lifted off cleanly, while cutting too deep can split the walls. Puff pastry rises sharply in the oven, so a neat, shallow score keeps the cavity open for filling.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shrimp, clove, white wine, egg, parsley):
- Thymefits better
- Tarragonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against shrimp, clove, white wine, egg, parsley. 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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