Why it works: Parmesan cheese and gruyere cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 152 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Cheese Tarts
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Sprinkle the rolled pastry with grated Parmesan and cayenne.
Bake and fill
Line tartlet tins with the pastry and bake until cooked and hot.
In a saucepan, stir together Gruyere, Parmesan, Bechamel sauce, cream, and cayenne over low heat until melted.
Pour the cheese mixture into the tartlets and serve immediately.
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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Parmesan cheese + gruyere cheesetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together152 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Sauce + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,787 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Parmesan cheese + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,322 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Gruyere cheese + creamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together105 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).
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Parmesan cheese + creamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,566 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rich pastry
- Forms the crisp, buttery shell that holds the cheese filling.
- Gruyere cheese
- Melts into the filling, giving it a smooth, rich texture and savory flavor.
- Parmesan cheese
- Adds sharp, salty flavor and browning as it melts and toasts.
- Bechamel sauce
- Adds creamy body and moisture so the cheese filling stays smooth.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, helping the filling set smoothly and stay soft.
The step that matters
Melting the cheese mixture over low heat. Cheese proteins toughen and separate when overheated, so a gentle heat keeps the filling smooth and creamy rather than grainy or oily.
“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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