An Excellent Trifle

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.

1. Raspberry + lemontop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,109 recipes

   Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

2. Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together43,450 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

3. Raspberry + creamtop 16% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together1,332 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

4. Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together53,532 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

5. Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together44,316 recipes

   Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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

Macaroons

Form the base layer that soaks up moisture from the custard and holds the structure.

Rich cold-boiled custard

Adds creamy body and richness, setting the layers together as it cools.

Raspberry jam or currant jelly

Adds fruity sweetness and acidity, and a bright flavour between the custard and cream.

Whipped cream

Forms the light, airy topping that adds fat and a smooth, rich texture.

2 egg whites

Whipped into foam to lighten the cream and give it a stable, airy texture.

The step that matters

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raspberry, cream, egg, sugar):

1. Vanillafits better
2. Strawberryfits better
3. Peachfits better
4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against raspberry, cream, egg, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.