Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Creamed Lobster
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 lobster
If using canned lobster, strain off the lobster liquor.
Cut the lobster meat into small dice and season it, then set aside.
Make the sauce
Heat the milk or cream in a saucepan, adding a tiny bit of baking soda.
When hot, stir in the butter and flour mixture until it thickens.
Add the lobster to the thickened mixture and stir well.
Bake and serve
Butter scallop shells and fill them with the lobster mixture.
Top with dry bread crumbs and brown in a 400°F (200°C) oven.
Serve with sliced lemon and crackers.
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 + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + breadtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,466 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Lobster
- Provides the main protein and bulk of the filling, with its flavor carrying the dish.
- Milk or cream
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce, giving it richness and a smooth, creamy body.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavor, and is cooked with flour to form the thickening base.
- Flour
- Thickens the cream into a smooth sauce that holds the lobster together.
- Bread crumbs
- Form a dry topping that browns in the oven, adding crispness and color.
- Cracker crumbs
- Add body and a toasty flavor, helping to bind and thicken the filling.
The step that matters
Stirring the butter and flour into the hot milk. Flour must be cooked in the hot liquid while stirring constantly; otherwise it clumps or leaves a raw, pasty taste and the sauce will not thicken 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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