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How We Cook in Tennessee

A collection of recipes from Tennessee.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Jackson (Tenn.). First Baptist Church. The Silver Thimble Society · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 17 ingredients
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Why it works: Orange and pineapple are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,664 recipes. Both carry ethyl isobutyrate, which smells fruity, ethereal. The science ↓

How We Cook in Tennessee

Ingredients

Directions

Make the fruit salad

  1. Cut half an inch from both ends of the banana.

  2. Remove one section of the skin and take out the fruit, using only a part of it.

  3. Cut the fruit in thin slices.

  4. Mix the slices with grated pineapple, orange pulp, malaga grapes (cut and seeded) and brandy cherries in equal parts.

  5. Sprinkle powdered sugar over all.

  6. Add a little maraschina and sherry wine.

  7. Re-fill the cases and cover with whipped cream.

  8. Serve as a course for a luncheon.

Prepare the layered fruit

  1. Peel and slice eight or twelve oranges.

  2. Slice one coconut.

  3. Slice one pineapple.

  4. Alternate layers of each, with sugar sprinkled on.

  5. Have the top of coconut.

Make the cooked filling

  1. Juice three large oranges.

  2. Grate the rind of one orange.

  3. Measure one cupful sugar.

  4. Separate yolks of four eggs and whites of two eggs.

  5. Measure two tablespoonfuls butter.

  6. Beat the eggs, yolks and whites together until thick.

  7. Put all the ingredients into a double boiler and cook, stirring constantly until as thick as honey.

  8. Turn out and use when cold.

  9. Store for several weeks in a cool place.

Make the baked maple pudding

  1. Melt three tablespoonfuls of butter.

  2. Add three level tablespoonfuls of flour and stir until frothy.

  3. Gradually add one cup of thin maple syrup.

  4. When the mixture boils, remove from the fire.

  5. Slowly pour the mixture over the well-beaten yolks of four eggs.

  6. Bake in a moderate oven for thirty minutes or until well puffed up and firm to the touch.

  7. Pound one and one-half cupfuls of macaroons and measure after pounding.

  8. Add one cupful of scalding cream.

  9. When cool, stir in one cupful of maple syrup, a few grains of salt and the yolks of four eggs, well beaten, and mix thoroughly.

  10. Fold in the whites of the eggs beaten until

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

931Calories
22 gProtein
24 gFat
159 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Pineapple1 cup chunks (165g)82
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Orange1 medium (131g)62
Maple Syrup1 tbsp (20ml)52
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
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 Jackson (Tenn.). First Baptist Church. The Silver Thimble Society. 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. Orange + pineappletop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,664 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  2. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  3. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

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

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together92,116 recipes

    Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
Yolks and whites set the custard and give it structure and richness when heated.
Flour
Starch thickens the butter and syrup mixture into a smooth, stable base.
Butter
Adds fat for richness and a smooth, tender texture.
Maple syrup
Provides sweetness and a distinct maple flavour.
Scalding cream
Adds moisture and richness, softening the texture of the filling.

The step that matters

Cook the filling while stirring constantly. Egg yolks can curdle or scorch if overheated or left unstirred. Constant stirring keeps heat even so the mixture thickens smoothly instead of turning grainy.

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, maple syrup, cream, pineapple, egg, flour):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Strawberryfits better
  3. Figfits better
  4. Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, maple syrup, cream, pineapple, egg, flour. 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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