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 ↓
Green Tomato Pie
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Take medium-sized tomatoes, pare and cut out the stem end.
Line the pie pan with paste made as biscuit dough.
Slice the tomatoes very thin, filling the pan somewhat heaping.
Assemble
Grate nutmeg over the tomatoes.
Put in half a cup of butter and a medium cup of sugar, if the pan is rather deep.
Sprinkle a small handful of flour over all.
Pour in half a cup of vinegar before adding the top crust.
Bake and serve
Bake half an hour in a moderately hot oven.
Serve hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
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.
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + vinegartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,513 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
-
Flour + vinegartop 27% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,652 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Tomatoes (in the method)
- Provide the main filling and moisture that forms the body of the pie.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness to the filling as it melts during baking.
- Flour
- Thickens the juices from the tomatoes so the filling sets rather than running.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Adds sweetness and helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes and vinegar.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the sharp, savory flavor of the tomatoes.
The step that matters
Slice the tomatoes very thin. Thin slices release juice gradually and pack the pan evenly, so the flour can thicken the liquid and the filling holds together when cut.
“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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