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Dessert

Raisin Crumb Pie

A pie with raisins cooked in sugar and water, topped with a crumb mixture of flour, sugar, shortening, eggs, and milk.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Raisin and flour match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Raisin Crumb Pie

2 pies
Oven440°F, then 350°F

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the filling

  1. Wash and clean the raisins.

  2. Add the cold water and 1½ cups of sugar to the raisins.

  3. Cook until the raisins are tender and plump.

  4. Set the cooked raisins aside to cool.

Make the crumb batter

  1. Preheat the oven to 440°F.

  2. Mix the flour, 1½ cups of sugar, and the shortening, crumbling well with the fingers.

  3. Take out 1 cup of the crumb mixture and set it aside.

  4. To the remaining crumb mixture, add the eggs and milk; mix well.

  5. Stir in the baking powder.

Assemble and bake

  1. Line two large pie tins with pie crust and fill with the cooked raisins.

  2. Pour the batter over the raisins.

  3. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs on top.

  4. Bake in a hot oven at 440°F for 10 minutes.

  5. Reduce the heat to 350°F and finish baking for about 35 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

895Calories
28 gProtein
26 gFat
136 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Waternot in our table0

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 Wikibooks Cookbook.

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.

  1. Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together9,075 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Raisin + sugartop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,481 recipes

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

  3. Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together78,219 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Raisin + milktop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,155 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).

  5. Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together92,116 recipes

    Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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

What each ingredient does

Raisins
Provide the bulk of the filling and sweetness as they soften and plump when cooked.
Flour
Forms the structure of the crumb and batter as it sets in the oven.
Shortening
Adds fat that rubs into the flour to make the crumb tender and crumbly.
Eggs
Bind the batter and help it set into a firm, sliceable custard-like texture.
Milk
Adds moisture to the batter and contributes to browning and softness.
Baking powder
Releases gas in the batter so it rises and becomes light.

The step that matters

Baking at high then lower heat. Starting hot sets the batter and crumb quickly, then lowering the heat lets the filling and centre cook through without scorching the top.

Swap the raisin

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, flour, milk, egg):

  1. Vanillafits about as well
  2. Raisinthe original
  3. Figfits less well
  4. Blueberryfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, flour, milk, egg. 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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