Why it works: Butter and pork are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 13,933 recipes. Both carry 2-furfurylthiol, which smells coffee, roasted. The science ↓
Blackbird Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the birds
Skin and draw the birds, cutting off the heads and feet.
Spread a bit of butter on bread. Season the bread with salt and pepper.
Place the seasoned bread inside each bird.
Assemble and bake
Arrange the birds in a pudding dish with slices of fat salt pork.
Add a little cold water.
Cover with pie crust.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 30 to 40 minutes.
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 + porktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,933 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
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Pepper + porktop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Blackbirds
- Provide the main meat, which cooks through under the crust.
- Fat salt pork
- Adds fat and savoury flavour that keeps the birds moist as they bake.
- Rich pie crust
- Seals the dish and traps steam, keeping the birds moist while the top browns.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, carrying flavour through the bread stuffing.
The step that matters
Covering with the pie crust. The crust must seal the dish tightly so steam stays inside and the birds cook through in the oven without drying out.
“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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