Why it works: Mushroom and beef are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,232 recipes. Both carry 2,4-nonadienal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Rump Steak Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the meat
Cut the rump steak into pieces about 3 to 4 inches long and trim off all skin and sinew.
Beat the steak pieces well with a rolling pin.
Assemble the pie
Spread a layer of chopped eschalots on the bottom of a pie dish and sprinkle with the black pepper and salt.
Layer the meat on top of the eschalots, followed by more eschalots and seasoning.
Pour the mushroom catsup and beef gravy or red wine over the layers.
Cover with a moderately thick crust of puff pastry.
Bake
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 2 hours.
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.
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.
-
Mushroom + beeftop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,232 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Pepper + beeftop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + mushroomtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rump steak
- Provides the main meat, which becomes tender with long, slow baking.
- Eschalots
- Add sweetness and aroma as they soften and mingle with the meat juices.
- Mushroom catsup
- Adds concentrated savoury, umami flavour and moisture to the filling.
- Beef gravy or red wine
- Supplies liquid that moistens the filling and builds a rich, savoury sauce.
- Puff pastry
- Forms a flaky, golden crust that seals in the filling and browns in the oven.
The step that matters
Beat the steak pieces well with a rolling pin. Pounding breaks down the tough connective tissue in rump steak, so the meat softens more evenly during the long bake and eats tender.
“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
Roast Beef211 recipes
Beef Loaf175 recipes
Corned Beef87 recipes
Beef Broth67 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.