Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
Directions
Make the filling
In a saucepan, combine the heated chocolate and milk.
Stir in the sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, and cornstarch or flour until well mixed.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Pour the filling into the baked pie crust.
Top and brown
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gradually add a little sugar.
Spread the meringue over the filling and brown in the oven.
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.
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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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Vanilla + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,241 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard filling.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the custard and add richness as they set with heat.
- Cornstarch or flour
- Thickens the filling as it cooks and holds its body when cooled.
- Egg whites
- Whip into a stiff foam that forms the meringue topping.
The step that matters
Cooking the filling until thickened. Stirring constantly over medium heat keeps the starch and egg yolks from scorching or lumping on the pan bottom, and the filling must thicken fully so it sets when cooled.
“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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