Why it works: Pepper and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,395 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Duck Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Wash the duck and fowl, then season with salt, pepper, allspice, and mace.
Place the fowl inside the duck.
On top of the fowl, add the boiled and peeled pickled calf's tongue.
Press the duck closed, ensuring the leg skins are drawn inward for a smooth appearance.
Bake
If desired, fill the space between the crust sides with forcemeat.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) until cooked through.
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 + allspicetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,395 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Allspice + macetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,189 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
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Pepper + macetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,257 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Pepper and mace barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,257 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
- Duck
- Forms the main meat body of the pie, providing rich flavour and substance.
- Fowl
- Sits inside the duck, adding extra meat and moisture to the filling.
- Pickled calf's tongue
- Adds a tangy, savoury note and a firm texture to the filling.
- Pie crust
- Encloses the filling and holds its shape while it bakes.
The step that matters
Baking low and slow until cooked through. Poultry must reach a safe internal temperature throughout. A slow oven cooks the dense meat evenly and gently, helping keep it moist rather than dry or tough at the centre.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, allspice):
- Clovefits better
- Thymefits better
- Marjoramfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, allspice. 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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