Why it works: Pepper and sage match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,388 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Raised Pork Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the pastry
Prepare the hot water crust pie pastry as directed.
Take two-thirds of the dough, set aside the rest, and keep warm.
Shape and fill
Knead the large piece evenly and shape it into a hollow pie.
Fill the pie with seasoned pork, pressing it down well.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
Wet the edges of the crust.
Cover the pie with the remaining pastry, rolled into a lid.
Trim and decorate the pie.
Brush the top with beaten egg.
Bake and serve
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 1 hour if making two pies.
When ready, pour in a little seasoned stock.
Serve hot or cold.
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.
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Pepper + sagetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,388 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Pork + sagetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,527 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pork + eggtop 30% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,387 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Sage + eggtop 32% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,100 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fresh pork
- Forms the savoury filling that gives the pie its main body and flavour.
- Hot water crust pastry
- Holds its shape around the filling, providing structure as the pie bakes.
- Egg
- Brushed on top, it promotes browning and a glossy finish during baking.
- Seasoned stock
- Poured in after baking, it adds moisture to the filling.
The step that matters
Pressing the pork filling down well. Packing the filling firmly leaves less air inside the pie, so it holds its shape when sliced and reduces shrinkage and gaps as the meat cooks.
Swap the sage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, pepper, egg):
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Sagethe original
- Marjoramfits about as well
- Thymefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, pepper, egg. 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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