Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Brown Gravy
Ingredients
Directions
Put a piece of butter, about the size of a hen's egg, into a saucepan and melt it.
Shake in a little flour and cook until brown.
Stir in half a pint of water and the same quantity of ale or small beer that is not bitter.
Add an onion, a piece of lemon peel cut small, three cloves, a blade of mace, some whole pepper, a spoonful of mushroom pickle, the same quantity of catsup, and an anchovy.
Let the mixture boil together for a quarter of an hour.
Strain the gravy.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 10 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Anchovy | 100g | 210 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Beer | 1/4 cup (60ml) for cooking | 43 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Mace | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Clove + macetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,400 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
-
Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,525 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
-
Lemon + clovetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,150 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Melts to form the fat base that the flour cooks in.
- Flour
- Cooks in the melted fat to thicken the liquid and add browning.
- Beer
- Adds liquid and a light malty flavour to the gravy.
- Anchovy
- Adds savoury depth that rounds out the gravy without tasting fishy.
The step that matters
Cook the flour until brown. Flour cooked in fat must be stirred and cooked long enough to lose its raw starch taste and develop colour before liquid is added, or the gravy will taste pasty and look pale.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, flour, beer, lemon, clove, pepper, mushroom):
- Thymefits better
- Marjoramfits better
- Parsleyfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, flour, beer, lemon, clove, pepper, mushroom. 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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