Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Apple Jonathan
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Peel and slice very thin four large or five small Greening apples; place in deep pudding dish or baking dish with two tablespoonfuls cold water.
Make batter of one-third cupful of butter, one large cupful of granulated sugar, two eggs beaten thoroughly, two large cupfuls flour, with four teaspoonfuls good baking powder and one teaspoonful salt sifted together, stirring well; then add flour.
Blend the whole for five minutes, then pour over the apples; let stand five minutes before placing in oven.
Bake
Bake thirty minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | 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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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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
- Apples (in the method)
- Provide the fruit base that softens and becomes tender under the batter while baking.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure as they set in the oven.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter so the topping rises and turns light.
- Butter
- Adds fat that tenderises the batter and gives a richer crumb.
- Flour
- Forms the main structure of the batter as it sets around the apples.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps it brown on the surface.
The step that matters
Pouring the batter over the apples and letting it stand. Batter that is overmixed develops gluten and bakes tough, so blend just until combined. The five-minute rest lets the batter begin to hydrate and the leavening start working before it goes into 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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