Apple Filling

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. Apple + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,501 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

2. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together35,032 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

3. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together43,450 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

4. Nutmeg + vanillatop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,781 recipes

   Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

5. Apple + nutmegtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,790 recipes

   Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Egg white

Whipped into a foam that traps air, giving the filling its light, airy structure.

Powdered sugar

Sweetens the filling and dissolves easily into the whipped egg white, helping it hold its body.

Sour apple pulp

Adds tartness and fruit flavor, along with moisture that softens the filling.

Cream

Adds fat for richness and a smoother, softer texture.

The step that matters

Swap the apple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, cream, nutmeg, vanilla):

1. Figfits better
2. Blueberryfits better
3. Coconutfits better
4. Applethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, cream, nutmeg, vanilla. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.