Why it works: Egg and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Mince Pies
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Prepare good puff pastry and roll it out to about 1 inch thick.
Line some good-sized patty pans with the pastry.
Fill the pastry with mincemeat and cover with more pastry, trimming the edges.
Bake and finish
Bake in a brisk oven at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes, or longer for larger pies.
Brush the tops with beaten egg white and sprinkle with pounded sugar.
Return to the oven for 1-2 minutes to dry the egg.
Serve hot on a white doily.
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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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Puff pastry
- Forms the flaky, layered case that holds the filling and crisps as it bakes.
- Mincemeat
- Provides the sweet, spiced filling that fills the pies.
- Egg white
- Brushed on top to help the surface brown and set a glossy finish.
- Pounded sugar
- Sprinkled over the egg-washed tops to add sweetness and a crisp, sugary crust.
The step that matters
Brushing the tops with egg white. Egg white applied too thickly or too early can pool and stay wet, so a thin, even coat is needed for a glossy, dry finish after the brief return to the oven.
“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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