Why it works: Flour and raisin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Rhubarb 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 the filling
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar, egg, flour, and raisins. Mix well until all ingredients are combined.
Assemble and bake
Place one pie crust in a pie dish and fill it with the rhubarb mixture.
Cover with the second pie crust and seal the edges.
Cut slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
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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Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Rhubarb + flourtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together670 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Rhubarb + raisintop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together47 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rhubarb
- Provides the tart flavour and bulk that gives the filling its body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and balances the tartness of the rhubarb.
- Egg
- Helps bind the filling so it sets rather than running when sliced.
- Flour
- Thickens the juices released by the rhubarb as the pie bakes.
- Raisins
- Add chewy sweetness and extra moisture to the filling.
The step that matters
Cut steam slits in the top crust. Rhubarb releases a lot of liquid as it heats. Without vents for steam to escape, pressure can build and push the filling out or make the crust soggy underneath.
Swap the rhubarb
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, flour, raisin):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Jalapenofits better
- Rhubarbthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, flour, raisin. 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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