Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Sliced Apple Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a steady oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the pie plate
Pare and slice the apples very thin.
Butter your pie plates and cover each with crust.
Fit the crust into the plate, smoothing it towards the edges.
Fill the pie
Layer the sliced apples evenly to cover the bottom.
Sprinkle with sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, and a dusting of nutmeg.
Repeat the apple layer, arranging slices around the rim, lapping them slightly.
Sugar and spice this second layer as before.
If needed, add a third layer of apples in the center, sugar, and spices.
Dot with small bits of butter.
Top and bake
Roll out a round of crust to cover the pie, fitting it without stretching.
Trim the edge and make a small slit in the center.
Bake in a steady oven at 350°F (175°C) until the crust is golden and the apples are tender.
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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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Apple + nutmegtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,790 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Apple + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,706 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Apples
- Form the bulk of the filling and soften into tender slices as they bake.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, and helps the crust brown and taste rich.
- Pie crust
- Holds the filling in shape and forms the golden, crisp outer layer.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and draws out juices that cook into a syrup around the apples.
- Cinnamon
- Adds warm, aromatic flavor that complements the apples.
- Nutmeg
- Adds a warm, aromatic spice note to the apple filling.
The step that matters
Trim the edge and make a small slit in the center.. The slit lets steam escape during baking so the filling does not build pressure and push up or leak through the crust. Trimming the edge keeps the crust even so it seals and browns evenly.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. 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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