Name: Mince Pie Mixture
Ingredients: 3 pounds of lean boiled beef chopped fine; 1-1/2 pounds of suet chopped fine; 3 quarts of apples chopped not very fine; 1 quart of stoned raisins; 2 cupfuls of cleaned currants; 1/4 pound of citron cut into thin slices; 1 cupful of candied orange; 1 teaspoonful each of cloves; 1 tablespoonful of salt; 1 cupful of molasses; 3 cupfuls; 3 cupfuls of brandy; 1 cupful of sherry; 1 cupful of cider; half beef; two oranges; 2 nutmegs grated; three layers as directed on page 451

Why it works: Orange and clove are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,987 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓

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.

Orange + clovetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,987 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Apple + clovetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,774 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Currant + brandytop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,057 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Apple + orangetop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,230 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Raisin + clovetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,070 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Lean boiled beef: Provides the bulk and meaty body of the filling.
Suet: Adds richness and moisture, keeping the filling tender and juicy.
Apples: Contribute moisture and tartness that balance the sweet dried fruit.
Molasses: Adds sweetness, dark colour and a deep, rich flavour.
Brandy: Adds aroma and flavour and helps preserve the mixture during standing.

The step that matters

Let the mixture stand several days before using.. Resting lets the spices, alcohol and fruit juices blend and mellow, so the flavour becomes more rounded and cohesive.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, apple, raisin, orange, clove, molasses, brandy):

Figfits better
Quincefits better
Pearfits better
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, apple, raisin, orange, clove, molasses, brandy. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Apple	1 medium (182g)	95
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Molasses	1 tbsp (20g)	58
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Brandy	not in our table	0
Cider	not in our table	0

Mince Pie Mixture