Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Raised Lamb Pies
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Cut the lamb meat into slices and trim neatly.
In a pan, melt the butter and add the lamb, lemon juice, pepper, and salt.
Cook over heat, turning the meat, then let it cool.
Shape the pastry into small pie forms, about the size of a large tea cup.
Place a layer of forcemeat at the bottom of each pie, then add the lamb.
Roll out the top pastry to ⅛ inch thick, seal the edges, and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F (175°C).
After baking, remove the top and pour in some good brown sauce.
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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Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Lamb + peppertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,165 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Lamb + meattop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together469 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Butter + lemontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Meat + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,594 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lamb, meat, butter, pepper):
- Lemonthe original
- Coconutfits about as well
- Limefits less well
- Cherryfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against lamb, meat, butter, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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