Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
45 Oyster Pates
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 oysters
Combine oysters with enough liquor to cover them and bring to a boil.
Skim the liquid well.
Stir in butter, pepper, salt, and cream if using.
Make the pastry shells
Prepare small tins lined with puff pastry.
Place 3-4 oysters in each tin.
Cover with pastry.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes.
Cut pastry into round cakes for open pates.
Make the bottom crust less than ½ inch thick.
Make the top crust slightly thicker.
Cut a smaller round from the middle of the top crust to create a ring.
Place this ring on the bottom crust.
Add a second ring on top to create a cavity for the oysters.
Bake until golden brown.
Brush the top with beaten egg.
Return to the oven for 3 minutes to glaze.
Make the sauce and serve
Combine half the oyster liquor with an equal amount of milk.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Add all the oysters (discard uncooked liquor) and heat to boiling.
Stir in 1 tablespoon butter.
Stir in 2 tablespoons corn-starch mixed with a little milk.
Boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened.
Fill the pastry shells with the thickened mixture.
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 + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Corn + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
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Pepper + corntop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,324 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Oyster + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,184 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
- Oysters
- Form the main filling, providing the savory flavor and tender texture of the pâté.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, fatty mouthfeel to the oyster filling and sauce.
- Corn-starch
- Thickens the oyster liquor and milk into a smooth, glossy sauce when heated.
- Puff pastry
- Forms the flaky, layered shells that hold the oyster filling.
- Milk
- Dilutes the oyster liquor into a creamy base for the thickened sauce.
The step that matters
Boil the sauce while stirring constantly. Cornstarch must reach a boil to fully thicken; stirring prevents lumps and scorching on the bottom of the pan, giving a smooth 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.
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