Why it works: Raisin and apple are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,920 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Raisin 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).
Make the filling
In a bowl, mix together the chopped raisins, chopped apples, vinegar, cornstarch, boiling water, sugar, and salt.
Pour the mixture into one pie crust.
Assemble and bake
Cover with the second pie crust and seal the edges.
Bake for 30-40 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.
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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Raisin + appletop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,920 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Raisin + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Apple + vinegartop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,884 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
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Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Apple and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 16,478 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
- Raisins
- Provide the main body of the filling and a chewy, sweet texture.
- Apples
- Add moisture and soft texture that complements the raisins.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the boiling liquid so the filling sets rather than running out.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps balance the sharp vinegar.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the sweetness of the raisins and sugar.
The step that matters
Seal the edges before baking. A tight seal keeps the thickened filling inside while it bubbles and sets in the oven. A gap lets the juices leak out, leaving the pie dry and the filling runny.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, vinegar, sugar):
- Pearfits better
- Apricotfits better
- Strawberryfits better
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against apple, vinegar, sugar. 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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