Why it works: Apple and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,478 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Swiss Apple Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Line a deep dish with rich paste.
Add a layer of sliced apples and sprinkle with sugar.
Repeat layers of apples and sugar until the dish is full.
Cover the top with crust, leaving a large opening in the center.
Pour in 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
Bake
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until done.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Apple and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 16,478 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
- Rich paste
- Forms the lining and crust that hold the apples and juices in the dish.
- Sliced apples
- Provide the bulk of the filling, softening as they bake into a tender layer.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps draw out juices from the apples as they cook.
- Water
- Adds a little moisture so the apples steam and do not dry out in the oven.
The step that matters
Leaving the central opening in the crust. The opening lets steam escape while the apples cook. Without it, pressure builds under the crust and the filling can turn watery or burst through unevenly.
“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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