Why it works: Maple syrup and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,252 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
French Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the filling
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, maple syrup, sugar, and butter until well combined.
Pour the mixture into a pie dish without a top crust.
Top and bake
In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the sugar until soft peaks form.
Spread the beaten egg whites on top of the pie mixture.
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven until the top is lightly browned.
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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Maple syrup + sugartop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,252 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Maple syrup + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,084 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the filling and help it set into a custard-like texture.
- Maple syrup
- Provides the main sweetness and flavor of the filling.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother, tender texture.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to soft peaks, they form a light topping that browns in the oven.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites to soft peaks. Egg whites under-beaten stay runny and will not hold a topping shape, while over-beaten whites turn dry and grainy. Soft peaks give a light layer that bakes and browns evenly on the filling.
“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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