Name: Cupcake-Tin Pork Pies
Ingredients: 3/4 pound ground pork; 1 medium onion, peeled and grated; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage; 1/2 cup bread crumbs; 2 (9-inch) discs prerolled, refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury); 2 eggs, beaten

Why it works: Pepper and sage match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,388 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Cupcake-Tin Pork Pies

Oven375°F

Time30 to 35 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 pound ground pork
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 (9-inch) discs prerolled, refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
2 eggs, beaten

Directions

Prepare

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Grease two 6-cup muffin tins with butter.
Combine all the ingredients except the dough and 1 tablespoon of the eggs. Refrigerate the mixture.
Unroll the dough and cut out twelve 4-inch circles with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a drinking glass.
Reroll the scraps, then cut out 12 more 2-inch circles.

Assemble and bake

Line the bottoms and sides of the tins with the 4-inch rounds.
Divide the filling evenly among the cups.
Press the 2-inch rounds on top, pinching the edges together to seal.
Poke a hole in the center of each pie.
Brush with the reserved egg.
Bake until the tops are browned and puffed slightly, 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool and serve

Let cool for 15 minutes before removing the pies.
Serve warm.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

827Calories

48 gProtein

21 gFat

108 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Pork	100g cooked	242
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Sage	1 tsp ground (0.7g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Pie	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.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

Pepper + sagetop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,388 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Pork + oniontop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,214 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together68,474 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pork + sagetop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,527 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Onion + sagetop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,628 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Ground pork: Forms the main savory filling and gives the pies their meaty body.
Eggs: Bind the filling and, brushed on top, help the crust brown and set.
Bread crumbs: Absorb moisture from the pork so the filling stays tender rather than watery.
Onion: Adds moisture and savory sweetness to the filling as it softens during baking.
Pie dough: Forms the crust that holds the filling and browns in the oven.

The step that matters

Seal the top crust firmly. Pinching the edges together closes the pies so juices stay inside the filling rather than leaking out and making the crust soggy while baking.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, pepper, sage, bread, egg):

Capsicumfits better
Spinachfits better
Potatofits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, pepper, sage, bread, egg. 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.

Brown Bread461 recipes

Pork Cake107 recipes

Roast Pork82 recipes

White Bread80 recipes

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Cupcake-Tin Pork Pies