Why it works: Apple and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,104 recipes. Both carry 4-heptenal, which smells creamy, biscuit. The science ↓
Apple Souffle
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the apples
Stew the apples and mix in the grated lemon peel and lemon juice.
Line the sides and bottom of a dish with the apple mixture, about two inches thick.
Make the custard
Make a boiled custard by heating the milk and whisking in the eggs until combined.
Allow the custard to cool, then pour it into the center of the dish.
Top and bake
Beat the egg whites until stiff and spread them over the top of the custard.
Sprinkle sugar over the egg whites and bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for a few minutes.
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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Apple + milktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,104 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
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Apple + lemontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,551 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Lemon + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Apple and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 16,478 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
- Stewed apples
- Form the base layer and supply fruity moisture and tartness around the custard.
- Eggs
- Thicken the custard and, with the whites, help set the soufflé structure.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they trap air and give the topping its light, airy lift.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, adding richness and a soft, creamy set.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the sweetness of the apples and custard.
The step that matters
Beat the egg whites until stiff. Under-beaten whites collapse and fail to lift the topping, while over-beaten whites turn dry and grainy. Stiff, glossy peaks trap air that expands in the oven and gives the soufflé its rise.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lemon, milk, egg, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Orangefits better
- Figfits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against lemon, milk, egg, sugar. 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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