Why it works: Chocolate and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,466 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
Directions
Make the crust
Combine a cup of butter, two cups of sugar, one cup of milk, four cups of flour, a spoonful of cream of tartar, half a spoonful of salaratus, four eggs, and a nutmeg.
Beat the butter lightly, then add the sugar gradually, beating until it is a cream.
Add the eggs and milk, mix and stir in the flour, in which the salaratus and cream of tartar have been mixed.
Bake for fifty minutes.
Make the filling
To make the filling, use one square of chocolate, a cup of sugar, yolks of two eggs, and a third of a cup of boiling milk.
Mix the scraped chocolate and sugar together, then add slowly the milk and eggs, simmering about ten minutes.
Let the filling cool completely before using.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Fruit | 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.
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Chocolate + creamtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,466 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Chocolate + milktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,128 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Cream + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Chocolate + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,448 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptenal (green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter (in the method)
- Creams with sugar to give the dough richness and a tender crumb.
- Flour (in the method)
- Provides the structure that holds the pie together once baked.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and add richness and structure to the filling.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Sweetens the dish and helps the butter form a smooth cream.
- Chocolate
- Gives the filling its flavour and dark colour.
The step that matters
Simmering the chocolate filling. Simmering the milk and eggs gently with the chocolate and sugar thickens the custard without curdling or scrambling the eggs. Too much heat can make the eggs set grainy.
“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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