Why it works: Cocoa and vanilla work together. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 357 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Chocolate 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.
Make the filling
In a double boiler, combine the egg, cocoa, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, butter, and milk.
Cook the mixture until thickened, stirring frequently.
Pour the filling into a pre-baked pie crust.
Top and bake
Whip the egg white until stiff peaks form.
Spread the whipped egg white over the filling.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) until the top is light 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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Cocoa + vanillatop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together357 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Cocoa + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together643 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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
- Thickens the filling as it cooks, and the white forms the light topping.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the milk mixture into a smooth, sliceable custard as it heats.
- Cocoa
- Provides the chocolate flavor and deep color of the filling.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and balances the bitterness of the cocoa.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard and adds richness and moisture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smoother, richer texture in the filling.
The step that matters
Cooking the filling until thickened. Starch in the cornstarch swells and thickens only when heated enough, and the egg must be cooked to set. Stirring frequently over gentle heat keeps the mixture smooth and prevents scorching or lumps in the double boiler.
Swap the cocoa
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, vanilla, butter, milk):
- Almondfits about as well
- Pecansfits about as well
- Cocoathe original
- Chestnutfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, vanilla, butter, milk. 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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