Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 17,923 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Easy Escalloped Tomato
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Roll the crackers finely and stir them into the tomato.
Season with salt and pepper, then dot with small lumps of butter.
Bake for 30 minutes in a 400°F (200°C) 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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Biscuit + peppertop 12% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together841 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
-
Tomato + biscuittop 16% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together105 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
-
Biscuit + buttertop 17% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together2,009 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
-
Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomato
- Forms the juicy base, supplying moisture and a sharp, acidic flavour.
- Uneeda biscuit
- Crushed into crumbs that soak up tomato liquid and thicken the dish.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness and helps the top brown as it bakes.
The step that matters
Roll the crackers finely. Fine crumbs mix evenly into the tomato and absorb its liquid uniformly, so the dish thickens without dry pockets or soggy patches.
“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.
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes
Tomato Bisque61 recipes
Potato Biscuit32 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.