Why it works: Apple and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,478 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Baked Apples
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Peel the apples, cut them into eighths, and core them.
Place the apples in a 2-quart earthen dish.
Bake and serve
Add the light-brown sugar and water to the dish.
Cover the dish and bake the apples for 3 hours, or until they are red.
Serve hot in the same dish with cream, or let cool and dust with powdered sugar for supper.
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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Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Apple and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 16,478 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
- Firm tart apples
- Hold their shape while baking and provide the tart flavor that balances the sugar.
- Light-brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and caramel-like flavor as it dissolves into the baking liquid.
- Water
- Creates steam and syrup in the covered dish, keeping the apples moist as they cook.
The step that matters
Cover the dish and bake until red. Covering traps steam so the apples cook through gently without drying out. Baking time depends on apple size and variety, so check that the apples are tender and colored before removing them.
“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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