Why it works: Cream and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Irish Key Lime Meringue Pie
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the crust
Bake pie crust and set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the filling
Beat egg yolks.
Add and stir in sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, Irish whiskey (optional) and a few drops of food coloring (optional).
Mix and pour into baked pie crust.
Make the meringue and bake
In a mixer bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar.
Beat until soft peaks form.
Gradually beat in sugar.
Beat until stiff.
Spread mixture on top of pie, sealing edge of pie crust.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve chilled.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 7 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| Pie Crust | not in our table | 0 |
| Whiskey | 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.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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 + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Condensed milk + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together804 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Condensed milk + creamtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together416 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Condensed milk + limetop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together122 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 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
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken the filling and whites whip into the meringue topping.
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Provides sweetness and a thick, creamy body to the filling.
- Key lime juice
- Supplies the sharp acidity that gives the filling its characteristic tang.
- Cream of tartar
- Stabilizes the egg whites so the meringue whips up firmer and holds its shape.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the meringue and helps stabilize the whipped egg white foam.
The step that matters
Spreading the meringue over the filling. The meringue must touch the crust all around the edge so it seals and does not shrink or weep during baking. Whites beaten to stiff peaks hold their structure better when the sugar is added gradually, which helps prevent a slumped or weepy topping.
Swap the lime
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, condensed milk, cream, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Strawberryfits better
- Limethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, condensed milk, cream, sugar. 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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