Why it works: Sugar and rhubarb are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,852 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
A Meringue of Rhubarb, or Green Gooseberries
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the rhubarb
Weigh a pound of delicate young rhubarb stems, pare and cut them into short lengths.
Mix eight ounces of pounded sugar with the rhubarb and stew gently until a smooth pulp forms.
Quicken the boiling and stir often until the mixture reduces to a tolerably dry marmalade.
When the fruit is ready, turn it from the pan and let it stand until it is quite cold.
Make the meringue
Separate the whites of four fresh eggs from the yolks.
Whisk the egg whites to a froth that remains standing in points when dropped from the whisk or fork.
Ensure no liquid remains at the bottom of the basin and the mass is firm enough to stand in points.
Mingle the egg whites with four heaped tablespoonsful of dry sifted sugar, stirring gently until well mixed.
Bake and serve
Lay the meringue lightly over the cold rhubarb in a rather deep tart dish.
Place the meringue in a moderate oven and bake for about half an hour, checking that the centre is firm before serving.
The meringue crust should be light brown and crisp through; avoid an excessively slow oven that leaves the underpart half liquid.
If substituting gooseberries, use a pint and a half and adjust sugar accordingly.
Optionally, pour thick boiled custard over the fruit before laying the meringue.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
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.
-
Sugar + rhubarbtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,852 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Rhubarb + eggtop 31% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together570 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rhubarb
- Forms the tart fruit base and, once stewed, the moist layer under the meringue.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the rhubarb and, dissolved into the whites, stabilises the meringue.
- Eggs
- Whites whipped to a foam give the meringue its light, airy structure.
The step that matters
Baking the meringue. A moderate oven sets the whipped whites into a crisp, light brown crust. An overly slow oven dries the meringue slowly and leaves the underside wet and undercooked.
Swap the rhubarb
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Rhubarbthe original
- Gingerfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg. 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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