Why it works: Egg and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 118,967 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Rose Kerner
Ingredients
Directions
Make the filling
Stir the sugar, eggs, cornstarch, and butter the size of an egg into the juice of one can of pineapple.
Boil together about five minutes.
When cold, add pineapple pulp.
Assemble and finish
Fill baked pie crusts, and cover with meringue or whipped cream.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Pie | 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.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
-
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Sugar + eggtop 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
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the juice into a set filling as it heats and boils.
- Eggs
- Enrich the filling and help it set into a firm, sliceable custard as they cook.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and balances the tartness of the pineapple.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, rounded mouthfeel to the filling.
- Pineapple (in the method)
- Provides the main flavor, moisture, and acidity of the filling.
The step that matters
Boil the filling until thickened. Cornstarch only thickens fully once the mixture reaches a boil, so a filling that is not heated enough stays thin and runny. Eggs in the mix can curdle if heated too harshly, so keep the heat steady while it boils.
“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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