Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 27,232 recipes mention both. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Eggs, Au Gratin, for Lent
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Peel and slice the hard-boiled eggs.
Arrange the slices in a deep dish in close circular rows.
Make the sauce
In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the egg yolks, grated cheese, and sweet milk.
Stir over low heat until the sauce thickens.
Bake and serve
Pour the sauce over the eggs and sprinkle bread crumbs on top.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 10 minutes until hot.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Cheese + breadtop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together2,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Cheese + milktop 10% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together4,426 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Form the base of the dish, providing the main body and substance.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the sauce as they set with gentle heat, giving it a smooth, rich body.
- Grated cheese
- Adds savory flavor and helps the sauce brown lightly on top.
- Sweet milk
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce, adding moisture and creaminess.
- Bread crumbs
- Create a crisp, golden topping while the dish bakes.
The step that matters
Stir the sauce over low heat. Egg yolks thicken through gentle heat; if the heat is too high, they scramble and turn grainy instead of forming a smooth, thickened sauce.
“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.
You might also like
Brown Bread461 recipes
Macaroni and Cheese102 recipes
White Bread80 recipes
Bread Omelette60 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.