Why it works: Vanilla and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,287 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓
Chocolate Tarts
Ingredients
Directions
Make the chocolate filling
Rub the chocolate smooth in the milk and heat to boiling over medium heat.
Stir in the cornstarch and cook for 5 minutes until well thickened.
Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool slightly.
Assemble and bake
Beat the yolks and the whites of 2 eggs with the sugar until light.
When the chocolate mixture is almost cold, combine it with the egg mixture and flavoring.
Pour the mixture into pastry shells and bake.
Top with meringue made from the whites of 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons sugar, flavored with 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
Serve
Serve cold.
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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Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,287 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken the filling and set it, while whites add lightness to the meringue topping.
- Cornstarch
- Starch thickens the chocolate mixture as it cooks, giving the filling body.
- Baker's chocolate
- Provides the chocolate flavour and dark colour of the filling.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and creaminess, helping the chocolate melt smoothly into the filling.
- White sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps stabilise the whipped egg whites in the meringue.
The step that matters
Cool the chocolate mixture before combining it with the eggs. If the chocolate is still hot, it can scramble the beaten eggs and cause the filling to curdle or turn grainy. Waiting until it is almost cold keeps the custard smooth.
“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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