Why it works: Chocolate and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,404 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Chocolate 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.
Make the filling
In a bowl, mix chocolate, hot water, butter, sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch.
Cook the mixture on the stove until it thickens.
Spread the thickened chocolate mixture onto a baked pie crust.
Top and bake
Whip the egg whites until stiff, then gradually add powdered sugar.
Spread the meringue over the chocolate filling.
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven until the meringue is set.
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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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Chocolate + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,543 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the filling and add richness as they set during cooking.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the chocolate mixture as it cooks on the stove.
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a stiff foam that forms the meringue topping.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smoother, richer filling texture.
- Chocolate
- Provides the main flavor and body of the filling.
The step that matters
Cooking the chocolate mixture until it thickens. Cornstarch only thickens fully when the mixture reaches a boil and is stirred, and the egg yolks can scramble if overheated. Cooking it gently while stirring keeps the filling smooth and properly set.
“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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