Name: Microwave Apple Crisp
Ingredients: 4 med tart apples, pared and cut; - into chunks; 1/4 cup light margarine, melted; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup whole wheat flour; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg; vanilla ice milk or frozen; - low-fat yogurt

Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Microwave Apple Crisp

Ingredients

Directions

Arrange apple chunks in 8x8x2-inch mirowave dish. In separate bowl, mix margarine, oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; blend thoroughly. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Microwave on high setting for 10 to 12 minutes, until apples are tender. Top with vanilla ice milk or frozen low-fat yogurt, if desired. 5 grams fat per serving

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

980Calories

39 gProtein

22 gFat

154 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Apple	1 medium (182g)	95
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6

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

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together11,917 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cinnamon + vanillatop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,287 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,598 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Wheat + cinnamontop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together537 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
Apple + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,501 recipes

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

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 (sugar, wheat, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, yogurt):

Blueberryfits better
Raisinfits better
Figfits better
Applethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, wheat, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, yogurt. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.