Why it works: Leek and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 152 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Leek Pie
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Dice the potatoes and leeks.
Parboil the diced vegetables in 1 pint of water, adding herbs, nutmeg, pepper, salt, and butter.
Place the parboiled vegetables in a pie dish.
Make the batter and bake
Make a batter with milk, eggs, and wheatmeal.
Pour the batter over the vegetables and mix all well.
Bake the pie for 1½ to 2 hours in a moderate oven.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| 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.
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.
-
Leek + nutmegtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together152 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Nutmeg + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Leek + peppertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together965 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Milk + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,685 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Egg + nutmegtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together24,744 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Egg and nutmeg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 24,744 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Leeks
- Provide the main savoury flavour and bulk of the filling.
- Eggs
- Set the batter as it bakes, giving the pie its firm structure.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and richness to the batter, keeping the pie tender.
- Wheatmeal (in the method)
- Thickens the batter and gives it body so it holds together when baked.
- Potatoes (in the method)
- Add starch and body to the filling, helping it hold its shape when sliced.
The step that matters
Baking the pie. The eggs and wheatmeal set as they heat. Baking too long or too hot dries and toughens the batter, so check that it is set in the centre without over-browning.
Swap the leek
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, egg, nutmeg, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Potatofits better
- Leekthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, egg, nutmeg, 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.
You might also like
Leek Soup31 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.