Why it works: Apple and orange match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,230 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Apple Meringue
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the apples
Core and peel the apples.
Cover the tops with sugar and grated orange or lemon peel.
Bake the apples
Add ½ cup of water, cover, and bake in a pudding dish at 350°F (175°C) until tender.
Make the meringue and finish
Make the meringue by beating the egg whites until foamy, then gradually add 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
Spread the meringue over the apples and bake for 10 minutes at 300°F (150°C).
Serve cold.
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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Apple + orangetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,230 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Apple + eggtop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,461 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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
- Egg whites
- Whipped into foam, they form the light, airy structure of the meringue topping.
- Powdered sugar
- Dissolves easily into the whipped whites, sweetening and stabilising the meringue.
- Sour apples
- Hold their shape when baked and provide the tart flavour that balances the sweetness.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the apples and helps draw out juices as they bake.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites until foamy. Whites must be whipped to a stable foam before sugar is added gradually; under-beaten or greasy whites will not hold air, so the meringue will be dense and may weep.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, sugar, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Pearfits better
- Figfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against apple, 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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