Why it works: Allspice and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,331 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Mutton Pasty, to Resemble One Made of Venison
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 the mutton
Hang the mutton for four to five days, weather permitting.
Bone the mutton.
Beat the mutton well with a rolling pin.
Rub the meat with sugar.
Pour vinegar and port wine over the meat.
Let the meat marinate for five days.
Wash and dry the meat thoroughly.
Season the meat highly with allspice, nutmeg, and coarse sea salt.
Assemble and bake
Place the meat in a baking dish.
Spread butter over the meat.
Lay a crust around the edge of the dish.
Cover the dish with a thick crust.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C).
Bake the bones with pepper, salt, and a glass of port wine.
Add the gravy when 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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Allspice + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,331 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Vinegar + port winetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together598 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Port wine + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,499 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Vinegar + allspicetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,548 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton
- Forms the main body of the pasty, providing rich meaty flavor and substance.
- Sugar
- Rubbed into the meat to add sweetness and help balance the sharp marinade.
- Vinegar
- Acidic marinade that tenderizes the meat by breaking down its tough fibers.
- Port wine
- Adds depth and sweetness to the marinade and the bone-baking liquid.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat that keeps the meat moist during the long bake.
The step that matters
Let the meat marinate for five days. Vinegar and port need time to penetrate and soften the dense muscle fibres. Too short a marinade leaves the meat tough and under-seasoned.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, sugar, vinegar, port wine, allspice, butter):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Clovefits better
- Nutmegthe original
- Thymefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, sugar, vinegar, port wine, allspice, butter. 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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