Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Pork Cheese
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
Cut the meat into dice, using more or less fat according to taste.
Add parsley, sage, herbs, lemon rind, nutmeg, and a liberal seasoning of salt and pepper; mix well.
Bake and serve
Press tightly into a mold and fill up with gravy.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 1½ hours.
When cold, turn out of the mold and garnish with parsley.
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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Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Parsley + sagetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,445 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Sage + lemontop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together887 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Sage + nutmegtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together642 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Roast pork
- Forms the bulk of the terrine and provides the meaty texture and flavor.
- Gravy or stock
- Sets into a jelly when cold, binding the meat together and adding moisture.
- Sage
- Adds a savory, aromatic flavor that suits rich pork.
The step that matters
Press tightly into the mold. Packing the diced meat firmly removes air pockets so the cheese holds together when turned out and sliced. Loose packing can crumble once cold.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, parsley, sage, lemon, pepper):
- Marjoramfits better
- Thymefits better
- Rosemaryfits better
- Nutmegthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, parsley, sage, lemon, pepper. 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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