Why it works: Cheese and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 28% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,253 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Pastry Ramakins
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Gather the remains of light puff paste and roll it out evenly.
Sprinkle the paste with grated cheese.
Fold the paste in thirds, roll it out again, and sprinkle with more cheese.
Shape the paste with a cutter as desired.
Brush with egg yolk before baking for a better appearance, if desired.
Bake and serve
Bake in a brisk oven at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve quickly on a hot napkin.
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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Cheese + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,253 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Remains of light puff paste
- Layered fat and dough create flaky, puffed layers as steam forms during baking.
- Grated cheese
- Melts and browns during baking, adding savory flavor and a golden crust.
- Egg yolk
- Gives the surface a glossy, deeper golden colour when brushed on before baking.
The step that matters
Shape the paste with a cutter as desired.. Cutting through the layers cleanly, without dragging or pressing them together, lets the paste rise evenly. Pressed or smeared edges seal and limit puffing.
“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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