Why it works: Meat and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 34% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,866 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Mince Pie
two piesIngredients
Directions
Stew the condensed mince meat with water for 20 minutes until thick.
If desired, add sugar, fruit syrup, wine, or vinegar to taste, using less water.
Prepare the crust and fill with the mixture to make two pies.
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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Meat + sugartop 34% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,866 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Condensed mince meat
- Forms the filling, which thickens and sweetens as it stews with the water.
The step that matters
Stew until thick. As liquid evaporates, the fruit and its natural starches thicken the filling. If it is pulled off the heat too soon, it stays runny and can soak the crust and make the pie soggy.
“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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