Why it works: Clove and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,451 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Brown Gravy
Ingredients
Directions
Brown the base
Put the butter into a stewpan and set it on the fire.
Throw in the onions cut in rings and fry them a light brown.
Add the beef and bacon, cut into small square pieces.
Season, and pour in a teacupful of water.
Let it boil for about ten minutes, or until it is of a nice brown colour, occasionally stirring the contents.
Simmer and strain
Now fill up with water in the above proportion.
Let it boil up, then draw it to the side of the fire to simmer very gently for 1-1/2 hour.
Strain, and when cold, take off all the fat.
Thicken and finish
In thickening this gravy, melt 3 oz. of butter in a stewpan.
Add 2 oz. of flour, and stir till of a light-brown colour.
When cold, add it to the strained gravy, and boil it up quickly.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bacon | 1 slice cooked (8g) | 43 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | 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.
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.
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.
-
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + clovetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,901 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Onions
- Caramelise during frying, adding sweetness and a deeper brown colour to the gravy.
- Bacon
- Adds fat and savoury flavour that carries through the long simmer.
- Flour (in the method)
- Cooked in butter to a light-brown roux, it thickens the gravy when boiled.
- Butter (in the method)
- Provides fat for frying and for the roux, adding richness and aroma.
- Beef (in the method)
- Releases flavour and body into the stock during the long simmer.
The step that matters
Adding the cold roux and boiling it up quickly. Flour thickens only when its starch swells in hot liquid. Stirring the cold roux into the strained gravy and boiling it quickly helps it disperse evenly, avoiding lumps and a floury taste.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clove, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Eggplantfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against clove, pepper. 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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