Why it works: Pepper and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 13,015 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Gooseberry Sauce for Boiled Mackerel
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the gooseberries
Boil the gooseberries in water until quite tender.
Strain them, and rub them through a sieve.
Make the sauce
Put into a saucepan the béchamel or gravy, with the butter and seasoning.
Add the pulp from the gooseberries, mix all well together, and heat gradually through.
Add a little pounded sugar to the sauce, if desired.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
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 + nutmegtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Green gooseberries
- Provide the tart fruit pulp that gives the sauce its flavour and body.
- Béchamel
- Gives the sauce its creamy, smooth body and carries the fruit flavour.
The step that matters
Heat the sauce gradually. Adding the fruit pulp and heating slowly, with stirring, keeps the béchamel smooth and prevents it from scorching or splitting.
“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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