Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Savoury Tartlets
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the filling
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Whip the eggs and add 2 teaspoons of water to each egg.
Dissolve the mustard in a little water, then mix it with the cheese and seasoning into the eggs.
Heat 2 oz. of butter in a frying pan until boiling, then stir in the egg and cheese mixture until set.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool.
Make the crust
For the crust, rub 2 oz. of butter into the fine wheatmeal, adding enough water to form a dough.
Roll out the dough thinly and line small patty pans.
Fill and bake
Fill the lined pans with the cooled egg and cheese mixture.
Moisten the edges of the pastry, cover with more pastry, and press the edges together.
Bake the tartlets for 15 to 20 minutes until golden.
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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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Cheese + mustardtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,805 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Cheese + creamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,655 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set and bind the filling, giving it a firm, sliceable custard texture.
- Cheese
- Adds savory flavor and richness while helping the filling set.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and flavor in both the filling and the crust.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, producing a softer, smoother filling.
- Fine wheatmeal
- Forms the structure of the pastry shell that holds the filling.
The step that matters
Stirring the egg and cheese mixture until set. Eggs thicken as their proteins coagulate with heat. Stopping too early leaves the filling runny, while overcooking makes it grainy and rubbery.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, cheese, butter, cream, pepper):
- Potatofits better
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, cheese, butter, cream, pepper. 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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