Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
To Roast Veal
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Rinse the veal in cold water and remove any bloody parts.
Mix the salt and pepper, using ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper for each pound of meat.
Wipe the meat dry and rub the seasoning into every part.
Shape the meat neatly and fasten it with skewers.
Set up the pan
Place the meat on a trivet or muffin rings in a pan.
Dot the upper surface with bits of butter and dredge lightly with flour.
Add 1 pint of water to the pan for basting.
Roast
Roast in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) or in a Dutch oven, basting occasionally.
Turn the meat if necessary to ensure even cooking.
If the water evaporates, add more to prevent burning.
Roast for 15 minutes per pound; a 4-5 pound piece will take 1 to 1.25 hours.
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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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Meat + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,594 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Veal + meattop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,890 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Pepper + flourtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Meat + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,777 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Veal
- Is the main cut being roasted, so its size sets the cooking time.
- Butter
- Melts over the surface, adding richness and helping the top brown.
- Flour
- Dusted on the surface, it helps the outer layer brown and form a light crust.
The step that matters
Roast in a hot oven and keep the pan water topped up. Veal is lean, so it can dry out and scorch. Basting and adding water as it evaporates keep the surface moist and prevent burning while the meat cooks through evenly.
“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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