Why it works: Apple and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,598 recipes. Both carry methyl cinnamate, which smells strawberry. The science ↓
Apple Meringue
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the filling
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, combine the steamed apple pulp, sugar, butter, cinnamon or nutmeg, egg yolks, and thick cream.
Pour the mixture into a deep pie tin lined with crust.
Bake and top
Bake without an upper crust for 25-30 minutes.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gradually add sugar to make a meringue.
Spread the meringue over the baked apple filling.
Brown the meringue in the oven for 5-10 minutes until golden.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Apple + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,706 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Steamed apple pulp
- Forms the main body of the filling and provides the apple flavor and moisture.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the filling as they set and add richness to the custard-like layer.
- Egg whites
- Whipped with sugar to form the airy, stable meringue topping.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps stabilize the whipped egg white meringue.
- Thick cream
- Adds fat and richness, giving the filling a softer, smoother texture.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites into meringue. Egg whites must reach soft peaks and sugar must be added gradually so the foam holds its volume. Under-whipped or greasy whites will weep or collapse, and a little fat from yolk or bowl can prevent proper foaming.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, cinnamon, egg, cream):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits about as well
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, cinnamon, egg, cream. 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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