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 ↓
Squash Pie
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 the filling
Cook the pumpkin in a pot over moderate heat, stirring frequently until dry, about 15 minutes.
Press the cooked pumpkin through a coarse sieve using a potato masher.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and mix in the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger (if using), and salt until creamy.
Combine the pumpkin with the egg mixture and add the milk, stirring well.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the mixture.
Bake and serve
Roll out the pie crust thinly and line a pie plate with it.
Pour the filling into the crust and bake at 350°F (175°C) until the center is firm.
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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Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Pumpkin + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,744 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Nutmeg + gingertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,324 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Pumpkin + gingertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,158 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pumpkin or squash
- Provides the bulk and body of the custard filling.
- Eggs
- Set the filling into a firm custard as they cook, and the whites add lightness.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and liquid that the eggs set into a smooth custard.
- Light brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and a molasses note that complements the squash.
The step that matters
Bake until the center is firm. Eggs continue to set as the custard cools, so pulling the pie too early leaves a runny filling, while overbaking can cause cracking and a grainy texture.
Swap the ginger
The recipe marks ginger as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pumpkin, sugar, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk):
- Cardamomfits better
- Allspicefits better
- Clovefits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pumpkin, sugar, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk. 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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