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 ↓
Pork Pie to Be Served Cold
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the pie
Prepare a short pastry for tarts.
Butter a large deep copper mold or stewpan.
Line the bottom and sides of the mold with the pastry, making it reasonably thick.
Stew the pork with pepper, coarse sea salt, and a little grated nutmeg.
Stew any leftover bits of pork or bones until strong.
Fill and bake
Place the stewed pork in the crust.
Pour the gravy over the pork.
Pour the gravy into the pie.
Cover the pie with a good crust on top.
Garnish the crust with leaves.
Glaze the crust with egg.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until done.
Cool and serve
Let the pie cool in the mold before turning it out.
Do not cut the pie until it is thoroughly cold.
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.
-
Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Butter + porktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,933 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
-
Butter + nutmegtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together24,377 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Short pastry
- Forms the sturdy crust that holds the filling and bakes to a crisp shell.
- Pork, stewed
- Provides the main filling, becoming tender and moist through slow stewing.
- Gravy
- Adds moisture to the filling, which sets as it cools for slicing.
- Egg
- Glazes the top crust, promoting even browning and a glossy finish.
The step that matters
Let the pie cool fully before cutting. Gelatin from the stewed pork and gravy sets as the pie cools, so cutting it early makes the filling run out and the slices collapse.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, pork, pepper, egg):
- Parsleyfits better
- Sagefits about as well
- Thymefits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, 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.
More pork pie recipes
You might also like
Pork Cake107 recipes
Roast Pork82 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.