Why it works: Rhubarb and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,852 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Line a pie dish with the pie crust.
Fill the dish with the sliced rhubarb, packing it evenly.
Sprinkle the sugar over the rhubarb.
Assemble and bake
Cover the pie with the upper crust, making a hole in the center for steam to escape.
Press the edges tightly together.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 45 minutes.
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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Rhubarb + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,852 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rhubarb
- Provides the tart flavor and the bulk of the filling, which softens as it bakes.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the tart rhubarb and draws out juice that thickens into the filling.
- Pie crust
- Forms the structure that holds the filling and browns in the oven.
The step that matters
Cover the pie with the upper crust, making a hole in the center for steam to escape.. Steam from the juicy rhubarb needs an outlet; without a vent, pressure can lift or split the top crust and make the filling boil over.
“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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