Why it works: Pepper and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 13,015 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
To Make a Pasty of Beef or Mutton
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the meat
Bone a small rump or piece of sirloin of beef, or a fat loin of mutton, after hanging several days.
Beat the meat well with a rolling pin.
Rub the meat with sugar.
Pour over the port and vinegar.
Let it marinate for five days and nights.
Wash and dry the meat.
Season and assemble
Season it with pepper, Jamaica pepper, nutmeg, and salt.
Place the meat in a dish.
Spread the butter over it.
Cover the edges with a crust.
Top with a thick crust.
Bake and make the gravy
Bake in a slow oven (300°F / 150°C).
Set the bones in a pan with just enough water to cover them.
Add port, pepper, and salt for gravy.
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 + nutmegtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Port wine + vinegartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together598 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Port wine + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,499 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Beef + port winetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together626 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef or mutton
- Forms the main body of the pasty, and its fat and connective tissue give it richness and tenderness.
- Sugar
- Rubbed into the meat, it adds mild sweetness and helps with browning on the surface.
- Port wine
- Marinade liquid that adds fruity sweetness and aroma and helps tenderize the meat.
- Vinegar
- Acid in the marinade that helps tenderize the meat and adds a sharp note.
- Butter
- Spread over the meat, it adds fat for moisture and rich flavour.
The step that matters
Marinating for five days and nights. Acid and wine slowly break down meat fibres over time. Too short a marinade leaves the meat tough, while the marinade must stay cold so the meat does not spoil.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, sugar, port wine, vinegar, butter, pepper):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Tarragonfits better
- Clovefits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, sugar, port wine, vinegar, butter, pepper. 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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