Why it works: Brandy and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,127 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Mince Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the mince
Simmer the mince filling on the back of the range for 30 minutes.
While warm, add ½ cup of brandy and store in jars.
Bake and serve
Line the pie plates with the crust or puff paste and fill with the mince.
Cover with a buttered paper and bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven.
Remove from the oven and top each pie with beaten egg whites.
Return to the oven briefly to slightly color the top and serve hot.
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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Brandy + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Brandy + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavor to the mince filling.
- Crust or puff paste
- Forms the structure that holds the filling and bakes into a crisp shell.
- Egg whites
- Form a glaze that sets on the top and helps it brown lightly.
The step that matters
Returning the pies to the oven after the egg whites. Egg white glaze browns and sets quickly, so a short time in the oven is enough. Leaving the pies too long can scorch the top before the pastry beneath is fully baked.
“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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