Why it works: Rhubarb and cream work together. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and 297 recipes mention both. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Make the filling
Melt butter, add rhubarb and 1 cup sugar, and blend thoroughly.
Cook slowly, stirring constantly for 10 minutes or until sugar melts and rhubarb is soft.
Mix 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, cream and salt, then add to the rhubarb mixture.
Cook until thick, about 3 minutes.
Assemble and bake
Pour into cooled pastry shell; top with meringue and brown lightly.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Rhubarb + creamtop 10% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together297 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Butter + creamtop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together41,494 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + creamtop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together43,437 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Butter + eggtop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together118,511 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
-
Butter + sugartop 10% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together98,096 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rhubarb
- Provides the tart flavor and the bulk of the filling that cooks down soft.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the tart rhubarb and helps it break down into a smooth mass.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the filling as they set with heat and add richness.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the filling as it cooks, giving a sliceable set.
- Butter
- Adds fat and rich flavor to the rhubarb at the start of cooking.
- Cream
- Adds richness and moisture, softening the texture of the filling.
The step that matters
Cook the filling until thick after adding the yolk mixture. Egg yolks and cornstarch only thicken fully when heated, but the yolks can scramble if the mixture boils hard. Stir constantly and cook gently until the filling thickens enough to hold its shape when cooled.
“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.
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.