Why it works: Pepper and mustard are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,430 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. 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
Prepare a raised crust pastry about four inches high.
Cut the pork into chops and season with pepper and salt.
Assemble and bake
Fill the pie with the seasoned pork and cover with the pastry top.
Pinch the edges to seal and brush the top with egg yolk.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for two hours, covering with paper to prevent burning.
Finish
Once baked, pour in gravy and add mustard if desired.
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 + mustardtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pork + mustardtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,445 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pork + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,121 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Egg + mustardtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,210 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Pork + eggtop 30% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,387 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pastry
- Forms a sturdy raised case that holds the filling and keeps its shape while baking.
- Loin of pork
- Forms the main filling, and its fat and juices keep the meat moist during baking.
- Egg yolk
- Brushed on the top, it promotes a golden, glossy browning on the crust.
- Gravy
- Added after baking, it moistens the filling and fills the gaps left inside the pie.
The step that matters
Covering the pie with paper while baking. The two-hour bake at 400°F can scorch the pastry before the pork is cooked through. A paper cover shields the crust from direct heat while the filling cooks, and it helps the browning stay even.
Swap the mustard
The recipe marks mustard as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, pepper, egg):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against 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.
More pork pie recipes
You might also like
Pork Cake107 recipes
Roast Pork82 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 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.