Why it works: Sugar and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Mince Pies
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a good oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Prepare the pastry by rolling it thin.
Use a generous amount of mincemeat, about 2 teaspoons for small pies.
Place the mincemeat in the center of the pastry.
Crimp or plain the edges.
Make a small hole in the top.
Bake and finish
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 20 to 30 minutes.
Brush the pastry with egg white.
Dust with icing sugar.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mincemeat
- Provides the sweet, spiced filling that forms the body of each pie.
- Pastry
- Forms the crisp, flaky case that holds the filling and browns in the oven.
- White of egg
- Brushed on the pastry to promote even browning and a glossy finish.
The step that matters
Make a small hole in the top. Venting lets steam escape as the filling heats, so pressure does not build up and push the pastry open or make the base soggy.
“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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