Why it works: Pepper and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 50,459 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Rump Steak Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a warm oven”. The 350°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Cut the rump steak into slices ½ inch thick.
Season the slices with coarse sea salt and black pepper.
Dip each piece into flour and place them in a small pie dish, forming a dome shape on top.
Add ½ cup of water to the dish.
Top and bake
Roll a small piece of pastry into a band and place it around the edge of the dish, wetting the edge first.
Cover the pie with the remaining pastry and bake for 1 hour in a moderate oven (350°F / 175°C).
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 + flourtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rump steak
- Forms the meat filling and gives the pie its main body and flavor.
- Flour
- Coats the steak so its juices thicken into a light gravy during baking.
- Plain pastry
- Encloses the filling and bakes into a crisp, golden crust.
The step that matters
Wetting the edge before placing the pastry band. Moisture helps the pastry band stick to the dish rim. Without it, the band can lift or separate as the pastry shrinks and the filling expands in the oven, so the lid may not seal.
“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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