Why it works: Lemon and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Lemon 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.
Make the filling
In a saucepan, combine lemon rind, lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, and ⅓ cup water.
Cook over medium heat until the mixture is warm.
In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch with a little water until smooth, then add to the lemon mixture.
Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly before adding the 3 egg yolks, mixing well.
Bake and top
Pour the filling into a prepared puff pastry crust and bake at 350°F (175°C) until set, about 25-30 minutes.
For the frosting, beat the reserved egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gradually add ½ cup sugar until glossy.
Spread the meringue over the baked pie and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until lightly browned.
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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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the lemon mixture as it cooks, giving the filling its body when set.
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken and enrich the filling; whites whip into the meringue topping.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps stabilise the whipped egg white meringue.
- Lemon
- Supplies the acidity and aroma that define the tart filling.
The step that matters
Cooking the filling until thickened. Cornstarch only thickens fully when the mixture reaches a boil while stirred constantly. Undercooked starch leaves a runny filling that will not set, and overcooking can break down its thickening power.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
- Datesfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg. 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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