Why it works: Nutmeg and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,623 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
To Make an Apple Tart
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Scald the apples and let them cool, then skin them.
Mash the pulp with a silver spoon until fine.
Mix the yolks and whites of the eggs together until well combined.
Add grated nutmeg and sugar to taste.
Melt the butter and beat it until it resembles thick cream.
Bake and serve
Make a puff pastry and line a tin petty-pan with it.
Pour the apple mixture into the pastry and do not cover it.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove from the pan and sprinkle with sifted sugar.
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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Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Nutmeg + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together24,377 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Codlins
- Apple pulp forms the bulk of the filling and supplies moisture and tart fruit flavor.
- Egg yolks
- Yolks add richness and help the filling set into a soft, custard-like texture when baked.
- Egg whites
- Whites add structure and help bind the filling so it holds together when baked.
- Butter
- Butter adds fat, richness and a smooth, tender mouthfeel to the filling.
- Flour
- Flour gives the pastry its structure so it holds its shape around the filling.
- Sugar
- Sugar adds sweetness and balances the tartness of the apples.
The step that matters
Baking the uncovered filling. The filling sets as its egg proteins coagulate in the oven. Pulling it out too early leaves it runny, while the uncovered surface lets it firm and brown evenly.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, butter, flour):
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
- Jalapenofits less well
- Capersfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, butter, flour. 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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