Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Pineapple 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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grate the pineapple.
Make the filling
In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the beaten yolks of the eggs and mix well.
Stir in the grated pineapple and heavy cream.
Pour the mixture into the pie crust.
Top and bake
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and spread on top of the pie.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is 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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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).
-
Pineapple + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,134 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich the filling and help it set, while whipped whites form a light, airy topping.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a tender texture to the filling.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps cream the butter into a light base.
- Pineapple
- Provides the main fruit flavor and moisture to the filling.
- Heavy cream
- Adds moisture and richness, giving the filling a smoother, softer texture.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites to stiff peaks. Egg whites hold air only when fully whipped and free of fat or yolk. Under-whipped whites will weep or sink, and over-whipped whites turn dry and grainy, so the topping may not stay puffed and golden.
Swap the pineapple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, egg, cream):
- Vanillafits better
- Strawberryfits better
- Raspberryfits better
- Pineapplethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, 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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