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Dessert

Rose Kerner

A pie with butterscotch and lemon fillings, topped with beaten egg whites.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Paidar, Marie, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 15 ingredients
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Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Rose Kerner

two pies

Ingredients

Directions

Make the first filling

  1. Combine one-half cup butter, one cup milk, two cups brown sugar, four egg yolks, two tablespoons cornstarch, one tablespoon vanilla, and two cups boiling water.

  2. Boil water and sugar.

  3. Beat egg yolks with milk and cornstarch.

  4. Add salt and flavoring.

  5. Boil in a double boiler.

Top and brown the first pie

  1. Fill into a baked pie crust.

  2. Spread with beaten egg whites.

  3. Put back in oven to brown.

Make the second filling

  1. Combine juice of three lemons, grated rind of three lemons, one and one-half cups sugar, two tablespoons cornstarch, three tablespoons flour, and five or six yolks well beaten. Beat thoroughly.

  2. Add juice of lemons, three cups water, butter, size walnut.

  3. Boil in double boiler until thick.

Fill, top and brown the second pie

  1. Add filling to baked pie crust.

  2. Cover with beaten whites sweetened.

  3. Put back in oven to brown.

  4. This makes two pies.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

857Calories
28 gProtein
26 gFat
124 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 10 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0
Pienot 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.

By Paidar, Marie, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  3. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

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

  4. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together124,287 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Vanilla + flourtop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,241 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Egg yolks
Thicken the filling and add richness and a smooth, custard-like body.
Cornstarch
Thickens the filling as its starch swells when heated with liquid.
Flour
Adds further thickening to the second filling, giving body along with the starch.
Brown sugar
Provides sweetness and the molasses flavor that defines a butterscotch filling.
Lemons
Add acidity and bright citrus flavor that balances the sweetness of the filling.
Milk
Adds moisture and creaminess to the first filling.

The step that matters

Boil the filling in a double boiler until thick. Starch thickens only once it has fully heated and holds near a boil, while egg yolks can curdle if overheated. A double boiler keeps the heat gentle and the filling smooth.

Swap the lemon

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

  1. Figfits better
  2. Raisinfits better
  3. Coconutfits better
  4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, milk, sugar, vanilla, flour, 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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