Why it works: Pork and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 22,121 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Raised Pork Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the hot-water pastry
In a small pot, boil lard and water.
Add flour to the boiling mixture and stir for a few minutes.
Set aside one-third of the mixture to keep warm.
Assemble and bake
In a bowl, combine pork, salt, pepper, and water.
On a large board, shape the remaining mixture into a round case about 6.5 inches across and 2.5 inches deep.
Fill the case with the pork mixture and cover with the reserved paste.
Make an opening at the top, brush with egg, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
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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Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Pork + flourtop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,187 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Pork and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,187 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 sturdy pastry that holds the filling when shaped while hot.
- Lard
- Adds fat that keeps the pastry tender and rich in texture.
- Pork
- Provides the meat filling that gives the pie its savory body.
The step that matters
Shaping the case while the pastry is hot. Hot-water pastry sets as it cools and becomes stiff, so it must be shaped while still warm and pliable. If it cools too much it cracks and cannot hold its shape around the filling.
“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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