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 says “a moderately hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
In a bowl, mix flour, water, lard, salt, and sage until well combined.
Knead the mixture on a floured surface until smooth and without cracks.
Set aside a piece of dough for the cover.
Shape the rest into a hollow oval or round mold about ½ inch thick.
Fill and seal the pie
Dip each piece of pork into water.
Coat with sage, pepper, and salt.
Place the seasoned pork into the dough mold.
Roll out the reserved dough for the top.
Wet the edges.
Place it over the filling.
Press the edges to seal.
Trim the edges.
Decorate the rim as desired.
Make a small hole in the center of the top.
Bake and serve
Brush the pie with beaten egg.
Decorate with thinly rolled trimmings cut into leaves.
Place the pie on a floured baking sheet.
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for about 2 hours.
Pour stock through the hole into the pie.
Let it cool 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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Pork + sagetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,527 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Flour + sagetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,115 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Flour
- Forms the dough's structure, holding the hollow mold and its filling together.
- Lard
- Adds fat that makes the crust short and tender rather than tough.
- Fresh lean pork
- Forms the main filling, cooking through in the sealed crust.
- Egg
- Brushed on top, it promotes browning and a glossy finish.
- Stock
- Adds moisture to the filling, and its bone gelatin helps it set as the pie cools.
The step that matters
Press the edges to seal. A tight seal keeps juices and fat inside the pie during baking, so the filling stays moist and the crust does not leak or dry out.
Swap the sage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, pork, pepper, egg):
- Jalapenofits about as well
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Sagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, 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.
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