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Dessert

Elderbeeries for Pies

A pie filling made from green tomatoes, apples, brown sugar, molasses, raisins, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vinegar, and salt.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Ithaca (N.Y.) First Baptist Church. Ladies Union · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Apple and clove are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,774 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓

Elderbeeries for Pies

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Chop one quart green tomatoes.

  2. Chop one quart apples.

Make the filling

  1. Add two cups of brown sugar.

  2. Add half a cup of vinegar.

  3. Add one cup of molasses.

  4. Add one cup of raisins.

  5. Add one teaspoon each of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

  6. Add half a teaspoon of salt.

  7. Add butter the size of an egg.

  8. Boil slowly for one hour.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

296Calories
2 gProtein
1 gFat
75 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Apple1 medium (182g)95
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Molasses1 tbsp (20g)58
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Ithaca (N.Y.) First Baptist Church. Ladies Union. 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. Apple + clovetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,774 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  2. Raisin + clovetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,070 recipes

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

  3. Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,225 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  4. Tomato + clovetop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,474 recipes

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

  5. Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together3,577 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Green tomatoes
Provide the bulk of the filling and a tart, firm body once cooked.
Apples
Add pectin and tartness that help the filling thicken and taste bright.
Brown sugar
Adds sweetness and a deep caramel flavor as it cooks down.
Molasses
Adds dark color, moisture, and a robust, slightly bitter sweetness.
Vinegar
Adds acidity that balances the sweetness and brightens the flavor.

The step that matters

Boil slowly for one hour. A gentle simmer lets the tomatoes and apples soften and the sugars thicken the filling without scorching on the bottom of the pot. Boiling too hard can burn the sugars and break down the fruit unevenly.

Swap the tomato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, sugar, molasses, raisin, clove, vinegar):

  1. Mustardfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Beetrootfits better
  4. Tomatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against apple, sugar, molasses, raisin, clove, vinegar. 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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