Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Baked Corn in Pepper Cases
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the peppers
Scald the peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes, then rub off the skin.
Cut off the stem end and scrape out the seeds from the peppers.
Make the filling
Cut the corn from the cob to measure 1 pint.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, stir in the flour, then gradually add the cream and salt to make a sauce.
Fill the pepper shells with the corn and sauce mixture.
Bake
Place the filled peppers close together in a baking dish.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 30 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.
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.
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Corn + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,324 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Corn + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,165 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Corn + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,345 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Bull-nose peppers
- Their shells hold the filling and soften as they bake, becoming the serving vessel.
- Boiled corn
- Provides the bulk of the filling and its sweet, tender body.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat to the sauce, carrying flavour and a smooth mouthfeel.
- Flour
- Thickens the butter and cream into a sauce that holds the corn together.
- Thin cream
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce, adding moisture and richness to the filling.
The step that matters
Make the sauce smooth before adding the cream. Stirring flour into melted butter forms a roux; adding the cream gradually while stirring keeps lumps from forming and lets the sauce thicken evenly.
“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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Corn Fritters203 recipes
Cream of Corn Soup50 recipes
Green Corn Soup46 recipes
Cornmeal Gruel41 recipes