Why it works: Pepper and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 68,474 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Steak and Kidney Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Prepare the steak, kidneys, and onion by cleaning and chopping them.
Dredge the meat and onion with flour, pepper, and salt.
Assemble
Fill a pie dish with the meat and onion mixture.
Pour in some stock or water.
Cover with puff pastry, cutting a hole in the center to let gases escape.
Ornament the pie to taste and brush the top with egg.
Bake
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 2 hours.
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 + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Steak
- Provides the main meat, becoming tender and flavorful as it cooks slowly in the pie.
- Sheep's kidneys
- Adds a rich, strong meaty flavor and dense texture to the filling.
- Puff paste
- Forms a flaky, layered crust that puffs and browns as it bakes.
- Onion
- Contributes sweetness and aroma as it softens and mingles with the meat juices.
- Stock or water
- Adds moisture so the filling cooks into a juicy, saucy mixture rather than drying out.
The step that matters
Cutting a hole in the pastry lid. The vent lets steam escape during the long bake. Without it, trapped steam can build pressure, lift or split the crust, and make the filling soggy.
“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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