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 ↓
To Roast Hare
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wipe the hare dry and remove the heart and liver.
Scald the liver for stuffing.
Mix pepper and ginger, rub inside the hare, and place a piece of charcoal inside.
Soak the hare in water for 1-2 hours.
If old, lard it or soak in vinegar, then wash well.
Stuff and roast
Stuff the hare with the prepared stuffing and sew it up.
Baste with milk until half-cooked, then switch to butter.
If blood settles in the neck, soak in warm water and nick the skin to release it.
Keep the hare at a distance from the fire initially.
Serve
Serve with rich gravy, melted butter, and currant jelly sauce.
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).
-
Anchovy + breadtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,260 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanol (green, fruity).
-
Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Anchovy + eggtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,330 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Liver + anchovytop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together199 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanol (green, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Hare
- Provides the meat that is cooked slowly until tender and juicy.
- Egg
- Binds the stuffing so it holds together when cooked.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture from the liver and fat, giving the stuffing a softer texture.
- Milk
- Its milk proteins and sugars brown the surface during basting.
- Butter
- Adds fat that moistens the meat and promotes golden browning.
- Currant jelly
- Adds sweetness and acidity that balance the rich, gamy meat.
The step that matters
Keep the hare at a distance from the fire initially. Gentle initial heat lets the thick joints and stuffed cavity cook through before the outside chars. Too close a fire scorches the surface while the centre stays underdone.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, liver, anchovy, pepper, onion, bread, egg):
- Parsleyfits better
- Garlicfits better
- Capersfits better
- Nutmegthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, liver, anchovy, pepper, onion, bread, 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 roasted hare recipes
You might also like
Brown Bread461 recipes
White Bread80 recipes
Bread Omelette60 recipes
Oatmeal Bread51 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.