Name: Smoke-Roasted Apples with Japanese Sweet Bean Paste
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 4 firm sweet-tart apples, such as Fujis; 2 tablespoons azuki bean paste; 2 tablespoons cream cheese (I use whipped cream cheese); 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 cups applewood chips or chunks, soaked for 1 hour in water to cover, then drained; grilling rings or aluminum foil rings for the apples; The apples can be stuffed and refrigerated several hours ahead. They taste best hot off the grill.

Why it works: Cream cheese and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,747 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓

Smoke-Roasted Apples with Japanese Sweet Bean Paste

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 firm sweet-tart apples, such as Fujis
2 tablespoons azuki bean paste
2 tablespoons cream cheese (I use whipped cream cheese)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups applewood chips or chunks, soaked for 1 hour in water to cover, then drained; grilling rings or aluminum foil rings for the apples
The apples can be stuffed and refrigerated several hours ahead. They taste best hot off the grill.

Directions

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

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

345Calories

2 gProtein

22 gFat

39 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Cream Cheese	1 oz (28g)	99
Apple	1 medium (182g)	95
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Bean	not in our table	0
Water	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.

Cream cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,747 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Apple + buttertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,706 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Apple + cream cheesetop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together169 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together98,233 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together16,478 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Apple and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 16,478 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 apple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream cheese, sugar, butter):

Vanillafits better
Strawberryfits about as well
Coconutfits about as well
Applethe original

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

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