Why it works: Feta cheese and cottage cheese share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Cheese Pastry Turnovers
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pastry
Sift dry pastry ingredients in a large bowl.
Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or two knives to coarse consistency.
Add cold water and stir with a fork into a ball.
Chill at least 1/2 hour.
Fill and shape
Roll half of the dough on a lightly floured table.
Cut the dough into 2 1/2 inch circles (tea cup rim).
Place 1/2 teaspoon of filling onto each circle.
Fold the dough over the filling.
Seal the edges with tines of a fork that have been dipped in water.
Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Bake
Brush the turnovers with beaten egg.
Bake on an ungreased baking sheet in a preheated 375°F oven for 12–15 minutes or until golden.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Feta Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Cottage Cheese | 1/2 cup (113g) 2% | 98 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Pastry | 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.
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.
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Feta cheese + cottage cheesetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together20 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Cottage cheese + cheddar cheesetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together191 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Feta cheese + cheddar cheesetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together40 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Butter + cheddar cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,436 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + cottage cheesetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together376 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creates flaky layers by staying in small pieces that melt and steam during baking.
- All purpose flour
- Provides the structure of the pastry dough.
- Cottage cheese
- Adds moisture and a soft, creamy texture to the filling.
- Egg
- Binds the filling and the beaten egg wash gives the crust a golden browning.
- Feta cheese
- Adds a salty, tangy flavour to the filling.
- Cheddar cheese
- Adds richness and a savoury flavour to the filling.
The step that matters
Seal the edges with a fork dipped in water. Water helps the dough edges bond so the filling stays inside during baking. A dry or loose seal can let filling leak out and burst the pastry.
“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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