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Dessert

Kiss Tart

A layered cake made with eggs, sugar, vinegar, vanilla, and fruit between layers.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Kaufman, Nettie M · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Sugar and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Kiss Tart

Ingredients

Directions

Make the meringue

  1. Separate 6 egg whites and add 1 teaspoon vinegar.

  2. Add 2 cups granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla to the whites.

  3. Beat the mixture stiff; add sugar gradually, then vinegar and vanilla.

Bake and serve

  1. Bake in two layers.

  2. When done, place fresh strawberries, pineapple, or any fruit between layers.

  3. Serve with whipped cream.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

142Calories
6 gProtein
5 gFat
14 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3

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

By Kaufman, Nettie M. 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. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

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

  2. Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,806 recipes

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

  3. Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together122,807 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  4. Vanilla + eggtop 23% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together27,347 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  5. Vinegar + vanillatop 26% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together804 recipes

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

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

Eggs
Egg whites whip into a foam that gives the tart its airy, light structure.
Granulated sugar
Sugar sweetens the tart and helps stabilize the whipped foam as it bakes.
Vinegar
A little acid helps keep the beaten egg white foam stable and prevents it from collapsing.
Vanilla
Adds a warm, aromatic flavor that rounds out the sweetness.

The step that matters

Beat the whites stiff and add sugar gradually. Adding sugar slowly lets it dissolve into the foam, which helps the whites hold stiff peaks. Adding it all at once or underbeating can leave a weak, runny foam that collapses in the oven.

“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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