Why it works: Pepper and sage match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,388 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Raised Pork Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Mix boiling water and lard in a bowl, then stir in flour until smooth.
Knead the dough on a floured surface until there are no cracks.
Shape the dough into a box-like mold, about ½ inch thick.
Fill and seal
Dip pork pieces in water, then coat with sage, pepper, and salt.
Fill the dough mold with the seasoned pork.
Roll out the reserved dough for the top, wet the edges, and place it over the filling.
Press the edges to seal, trim, and decorate the rim as desired.
Make a hole in the center of the top and brush the pie with beaten egg.
Bake and serve
Place the pie on a floured baking sheet and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 2 hours.
Once cooked, pour stock into the pie through the hole and let it cool before serving.
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 + sagetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,388 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Pork + sagetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,527 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Flour + sagetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,115 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the dough structure that holds the filling and keeps the pie shape.
- Lard
- Adds fat that makes the crust tender and short when mixed with boiling water.
- Fresh lean pork
- Provides the savory meat filling that cooks within the crust.
- Beaten egg
- Brushed on top to promote browning and a glossy finish.
- Powdered sage
- Adds the herbal aroma that seasons the pork.
The step that matters
Knead the dough until there are no cracks. Kneading develops gluten so the hot-water dough becomes smooth and pliable enough to shape into a mold that holds its walls without splitting during baking.
Swap the sage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, pork, pepper, egg):
- Jalapenofits about as well
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Sagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, pork, pepper, egg. 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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