Why it works: Cream and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 21,449 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Onion Tart
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Slice the onions and stew them with 1‑1/2 oz butter, without browning them.
When tender, let the onions cool.
Mix the cooled onions with the eggs (well beaten), cream, pepper, and salt.
Make the crust
Make a paste with the wheatmeal and the remaining butter.
Line a baking tin with the paste, reserving a small quantity.
Assemble and bake
Pour the onion mixture into the paste‑lined tin.
Cut the remaining paste into thin strips and lay them crosswise over the tart, forming diamond‑shaped squares.
Bake the tart in a moderate oven until golden brown.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| 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.
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.
-
Cream + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together21,449 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Cream and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 21,449 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 filling and help it set firm when baked.
- Cream
- Adds richness and moisture, keeping the filling smooth and tender.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat for flavour and richness, and enriches the paste.
- Wheatmeal (in the method)
- Provides the structure of the paste that holds the tart together.
- Onions (in the method)
- Give the filling its main flavour and sweetness once softened by gentle stewing.
The step that matters
Stew the onions without browning them. Gentle heat softens the onions and draws out their natural sweetness. Higher heat browns the sugars, which turns the flavour bitter and sharp, and it also dries the onions so the filling loses its moisture.
“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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