Why it works: Cheese and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 28% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,253 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Pastry Ramakins
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the dough
Gather the remains of light puff paste and roll it out evenly.
Sprinkle the paste with grated cheese.
Fold the paste in thirds, roll it out again, and sprinkle more cheese.
Repeat the folding and rolling process, then cut into desired shapes.
Bake and serve
Optionally, brush the tops with egg yolk before baking.
Bake the ramakins in a brisk oven at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve immediately on a hot napkin.
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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Cheese + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,253 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
- Light puff paste
- Its layers of fat and dough puff apart in the oven, giving the ramakins a flaky texture.
- Grated cheese
- Melts and browns in the oven, adding savoury flavour and a golden crust between the layers.
- Egg yolk
- Brushed on top, it promotes browning and a glossy finish.
The step that matters
Bake in a brisk oven. A hot oven makes the layers of fat release steam quickly, so the pastry puffs and sets before the fat melts out. Too cool an oven gives flat, greasy ramakins.
“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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