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
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
Boil 2 cups of milk with 2 tablespoons of chocolate.
Add ½ cup of sugar, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 3 eggs (reserve 2 whites).
Bake and top
Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake at 350°F (175°C) until set.
Whip the reserved egg whites until stiff, then gradually add 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
Spread the meringue over the pie and bake 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.
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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Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Milk + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,128 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, 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
- Eggs
- Whole eggs set the custard filling as they cook, giving it body and structure.
- Egg whites
- Whipped whites form the meringue, adding airy volume and a light, foamy topping.
- Milk
- Milk forms the liquid base of the filling, providing moisture and a creamy texture.
- Sugar
- Sugar sweetens the filling and helps stabilise the whipped meringue.
- Chocolate
- Chocolate gives the filling its flavour and dark colour.
The step that matters
Baking the filling until set. Egg proteins set as they heat, thickening the custard. Underbaking leaves a runny filling, while overbaking can make it weep or crack.
“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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