Why it works: Pepper and sage match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,388 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Raised Pork 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
Season the meat with pepper, coarse sea salt, and sage.
Assemble and bake
Fill the pie with the seasoned meat; do not add gravy unless using stiff jelly.
Close the pie securely and brush the top with beaten egg.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for two hours, covering with buttered paper to prevent burning.
Serve
If desired, add a little jellied gravy and 2 teaspoons of made mustard before 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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Pepper + sagetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,388 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Sage + mustardtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together372 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Pepper + mustardtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Meat + mustardtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together855 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Meat + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,594 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Meat
- Forms the filling, providing the main body and savoury flavour of the pie.
- Egg
- Beaten egg brushed on top gives the crust a glossy, golden browned finish.
- Jelly from roast meat
- Adds moisture and savour to the filling as it melts and sets when cooled.
The step that matters
Covering the top while baking. The pie bakes for two hours at high heat, so the crust can scorch before the filling is cooked. Covering it with buttered paper slows browning and protects the pastry.
Swap the mustard
The recipe marks mustard as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, pepper, sage, egg, butter):
- Capsicumfits better
- Shallotfits about as well
- Potatofits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against meat, pepper, sage, egg, 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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