Name: Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients: 3/4 stick unsalted butter; 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar; 3/4 cup light corn syrup; 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon grated orange; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3 large eggs; 2 cups pecan halves (1/2 pound); Accompaniment: whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Why it works: Vanilla and orange are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,371 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

3/4 stick unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated orange
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 cups pecan halves (1/2 pound)
Accompaniment: whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

502Calories

12 gProtein

31 gFat

47 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Ice Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Pecan	1 half (4g)	20
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Syrup	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By epicurious. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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.

Vanilla + orangetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,371 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar + syruptop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,842 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Corn + vanillatop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,943 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

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

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, corn, syrup, vanilla, egg, cream):

Coconutfits better
Strawberryfits better
Figfits better
Orangethe original

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

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