Why it works: Cocoa and pecans work together. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 13 recipes. Both carry 2-undecenal, which smells sweet. The science ↓
Chocolate Tart
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Crumb the crackers finely until there is a cupful.
Add baking powder and sift into the well-beaten sugar and yolks of eggs.
Add cocoa and nuts and moisten well with milk.
Bake and serve
Put mixture into a baking dish and cook until done.
Cover with meringue made of egg whites and sugar, brown lightly.
Serve with a white liquid sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Pecans | 1 oz (28g / ~19 halves) | 196 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
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.
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Cocoa + pecanstop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs (in the method)
- Yolks enrich the filling and whites whip into the meringue topping that sets and browns.
- Pecans
- Add crunch and nutty richness to the filling as it bakes.
- Cocoa
- Gives the tart its chocolate flavour and deep colour.
- Crackers
- Crumbs bind with the other ingredients to give the filling body.
The step that matters
Brown the meringue lightly. Meringue made from egg whites and sugar can weep or scorch if overbaked, so it should be browned just until golden. Sugar caramelises and egg proteins set as the topping colours, so timing controls both texture and appearance.
“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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