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Torta Di Serretto

This easy Italian cake recipe is truly irresistible. Named after the fictional chef Giovanni Serretto in the drama series La Mappa Misteriosa, it is similar to a traditional Castagnaccio style cake.

By bbcfood · From Open Recipes · 11 ingredients
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Torta Di Serretto

Why it works: Fennel and pine share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓

Torta Di Serretto

Serves 8
Prep1 hr
Cook1 hr

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1017Calories
25 gProtein
43 gFat
136 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 11 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Pine Nut1 oz (28g)191
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Honey1 tbsp (21g)64
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Fennel1/2 bulb (87g)27
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Seednot in our table0
Chestnutnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By bbcfood. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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.

  1. Fennel + pinetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together43 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).

  2. Chestnut + pinetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  3. Fennel + chestnuttop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together16 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Flour + chestnuttop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together517 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Flour + fenneltop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together455 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the fennel

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, honey, sugar, egg, flour, chestnut, pine):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Nutmegfits better
  3. Turmericfits about as well
  4. Fennelthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, honey, sugar, egg, flour, chestnut, pine. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.