Name: Cauliflower and Potato Pie
Ingredients: 1 pint of milk; 1 fair-sized boiled; 3 eggs; pepper; salt

Why it works: Milk and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓

Cauliflower and Potato Pie

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Gather ingredients: 1 fair-sized boiled cauliflower, 1 lb. cold boiled potatoes, 1 pint milk, 3 eggs, 8 oz. Allinson fine wheatmeal, 1-1/2 oz. butter, 4 oz. grated cheese, pepper and salt to taste.
Cut up the cauliflower and potatoes.
Sprinkle half the cheese between the vegetables.
Place the vegetables in a pie dish.

Make the batter

Make a batter of the milk, eggs and wheatmeal.
Add seasoning to the batter.
Pour the batter over the vegetables.

Bake

Cut the butter into little bits and put them on the top of the pie.
Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over all.
Bake for 1 hour.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

233Calories

14 gProtein

13 gFat

14 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 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 T. R. Allinson. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

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.

Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together88,785 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk + peppertop 22% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together26,984 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together50,580 recipes

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

Egg and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 50,580 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: Bind the batter and help it set into a firm custard around the vegetables.
Wheatmeal (in the method): Thickens the milk and egg batter so it holds together when baked.
Milk: Forms the liquid base of the batter, adding moisture and softness as it bakes.
Cheese (in the method): Adds savoury flavour and helps the top brown as it melts.
Butter (in the method): Adds richness and helps the top brown as it melts.