Why it works: Potato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,305 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Clam Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Chop large clams slightly.
Place them in a saucepan with their liquor.
Bring to a boil, adding a little water if needed.
Boil the potatoes until done.
Cut them into small squares.
Assemble the pie
Line a medium-sized pudding dish halfway up the sides with pie crust.
Turn a small cup bottom up in the middle of the dish to support the top crust.
Layer clams, potatoes, bits of butter, salt, and pepper in the dish.
Dredge with flour between layers.
Add clam juice.
Add a little water if necessary, ensuring there is enough liquid.
Cover with the top crust.
Cut slits for steam to escape.
Bake
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45 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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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Clam + potatotop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together80 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-decenal (green, must).
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Clam + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together840 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Clams
- Provide the main seafood filling and the savory clam liquor that moistens the pie.
- Potatoes
- Add starchy bulk that soaks up cooking liquid and gives the filling body.
- Flour
- Dusted between layers, it thickens the clam juice into a looser sauce around the filling.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat that carries flavor and keeps the filling tender.
The step that matters
Ensuring enough liquid in the dish. Flour thickens liquid as it heats, so with too little clam juice or water the filling can turn pasty and dry before the crust is fully baked. Checking that the liquid covers the layers helps the flour form a smooth sauce.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clam, butter, pepper, flour):
- Potatothe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Shallotfits about as well
- Chivefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against clam, butter, pepper, flour. 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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