Why it works: Molasses and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Lemon Pie
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, mix the chopped lemons, molasses, sugar, and eggs until well combined.
Prepare a pie plate with a crust in the bottom.
Fill and assemble
Pour half of the lemon mixture into the crust.
Cover the pie with another crust.
Add the remaining lemon mixture.
Seal the edges of the pie.
Cover the top with another crust.
Bake
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
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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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Molasses + eggtop 34% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,879 recipes
Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Lemons
- Provide sharp acidity and fragrant citrus aroma that balance the sweetness.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture, and a deep brown color to the filling.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the filling brown during baking.
- Eggs
- Set during baking to give the filling its firm, sliceable structure.
The step that matters
Baking until golden brown. The egg proteins set as the filling heats, so the pie needs enough time to firm up. Browning on top is also a visual cue, so checking the pie near the end of the stated time helps avoid a runny center or overbaking.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, sugar, egg):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, sugar, egg. 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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