Why it works: Onion and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 32,460 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Salmi of Duck
Ingredients
Directions
Make the stock
Trim the meat into neat pieces and use the bones and giblets for the stock.
In a stew pan, combine the bones, onion, salt, and pepper; simmer for one hour.
Strain the stock and thicken it with browned flour; boil for a few minutes.
Finish the stew
Add the duck to the stock and simmer until tender.
Stir in the orange juice and Claret, then serve garnished with olives.
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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Onion + flourtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together32,460 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Orange + flourtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,821 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Onion + orangetop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,922 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Roast duck
- Provides the main meat, whose fat and juices flavour the stew.
- Browned flour
- Thickens the stock so it has body and clings to the duck.
- Claret
- Adds acidity and wine flavour that balances the rich duck.
- Sour orange juice
- Adds bright acidity that cuts through the richness of the duck.
The step that matters
Thickening the stock with browned flour. Flour must be cooked enough to lose its raw taste and to thicken evenly. Stirring it smooth before boiling prevents lumps and keeps the stock glossy rather than pasty.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, flour):
- Avocadofits better
- Raisinfits better
- Limefits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, flour. 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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