Why it works: Veal and ham are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,264 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Roast Fillet Op Veal
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove the bone from the fillet and fill the space with stuffing.
Place a layer of stuffing under the fat and truss the fillet into a good shape with kitchen twine.
Roast
Position the fillet a distance from the fire and baste it with butter.
Baste frequently to prevent the fat from burning.
Roast for 3 to 4 hours, depending on the size of the fillet.
Serve
Once cooked, pour melted butter over the fillet and serve with ham or bacon and fresh cucumbers if in season.
Wash the fillet in cold water before cooking.
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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Veal + hamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,264 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Butter + hamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,475 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Veal + cucumbertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together439 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Veal + buttertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,381 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Butter + cucumbertop 24% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,185 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal fillet
- Lean main cut that becomes tender and juicy when roasted slowly over a long time.
- Stuffing
- Fills the cavity left by the bone and helps the fillet hold its shape while roasting.
- Butter
- Basting coats the surface, adding moisture and rich browning as it cooks.
The step that matters
Position the fillet a distance from the fire and baste frequently. Roasting at a gentler distance from the heat cooks the veal through without scorching. Frequent basting keeps the surface moist and stops the fat from burning, so the outside browns evenly rather than blackening.
Swap the cucumber
The recipe marks cucumber as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, butter, ham):
- Onionfits better
- Leekfits better
- Potatofits better
- Cucumberthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, butter, ham. 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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