Why it works: Lemon and orange match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Mince Pies
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a good oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the mincemeat
Wash and pick the currants and sultanas.
Chop the suet very fine, using the sugar to separate it.
Peel and core the apples, then chop them moderately fine.
Chop the mixed peel very fine.
Sprinkle the spice over the ingredients and mix well.
Grate the rind of the orange and lemon over the mixture, then add their juices.
Place the mixture in stone jars and store in a cool place.
Make the pies
Line the bottom of small patty pans with a thin layer of short pastry.
Place a small heap of mincemeat in the center of each pastry.
Brush a little water over the mincemeat and cover with puff pastry about ¼ inch thick.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until golden.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over the pies after baking.
Remove the pies from the pans while warm to prevent sticking.
Serve
Warm the mince pies before serving; they should not be cold when eaten.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Lemon + orangetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,634 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Apple + orangetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,230 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Currant + appletop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,918 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
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Apple + lemontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,551 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Currant + orangetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,034 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Suet
- Adds richness and moisture, and keeps the filling soft and juicy when baked.
- Sultanas
- Provide sweetness and chewy texture through the filling.
- Currants
- Add chewy texture and concentrated fruity sweetness to the mincemeat.
- Apples
- Add moisture and a tart freshness that balances the sweetness.
- Moist sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps keep the mincemeat soft.
The step that matters
Chop the suet very fine, using the sugar to separate it.. Fine chopping spreads the fat evenly through the filling, and the sugar keeps the pieces from clumping together, so the mincemeat bakes moist rather than greasy in patches.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, sugar, apple, lemon, orange):
- Cranberryfits better
- Figfits better
- Pearfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, sugar, apple, lemon, orange. 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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