Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Cocoanut 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 the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, combine the grated coconut, beaten eggs, sugar, butter, and sweet milk.
Pour the mixture into the pie crust.
Top and bake
If desired, beat the egg whites until stiff and gradually add 4 tablespoons of sugar to make a meringue.
Spread the meringue over the pie filling.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the meringue is golden.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Coconut + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,648 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Coconut + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,467 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the filling and set it into a custard as the pie bakes.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps the meringue stay glossy and stable.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat for a tender, flavorful filling.
- Sweet milk
- Adds moisture and liquid that sets with the eggs into a custard.
- Grated coconut
- Provides the main flavor and a chewy texture in the filling.
The step that matters
Spread the meringue over the filling. Meringue made from whipped egg whites needs to be stiff before the sugar is added gradually, so it holds its shape and bakes to a golden, stable topping rather than weeping or sinking.
Swap the coconut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, butter, milk):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Coconutthe original
- Peachfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, butter, milk. 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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