Why it works: Egg and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 118,967 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Jelly Pie
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.
Make the filling
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Beat the egg yolks until very light, then mix with the butter and sugar.
Add the egg whites and mix well.
Stir in the jelly and flavor to taste.
Bake
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 45 minutes or 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.
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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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 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
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness as they set in the oven.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a rich, tender texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps trap air when creamed with butter.
- Jelly
- Adds fruit flavor, sweetness and moisture to the filling.
The step that matters
Beat the egg yolks until very light. Beating the yolks well traps air and blends them evenly with the butter and sugar. This gives the filling a lighter texture, while under-beaten yolks can leave it dense.
“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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