Why it works: Apple and orange match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,230 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Apple Puddings
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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, rub together the sugar and butter until creamy.
Beat the egg yolks and mix them into the sugar and butter mixture.
Add the stewed apples, orange or lemon juice, zest, wine, and spices; mix well.
Make the pudding
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites into the apple mixture.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a prepared crust and bake for 30-40 minutes or until 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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Apple + orangetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,230 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Apple + winetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,207 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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Butter + winetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
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Orange + winetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,046 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Apple + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,706 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Apples
- Provide the main bulk, moisture and fruity flavour of the pudding.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and helps cream the butter for a smooth base.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a tender, creamy texture to the base.
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and bind the mixture; whites are whipped to lighten and set the pudding.
- Orange or lemon
- Adds acidity and bright aroma from the juice and zest.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped whites trap air that lightens the pudding. Overmixing or stirring vigorously deflates the foam, leaving a dense result, so fold gently until no white streaks remain.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, sugar, butter, egg, wine):
- Pearfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Grapefits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against apple, sugar, butter, egg, wine. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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