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 ↓
Apple Tarts
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
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Line six oval tart molds (4 inches long, 3 inches wide, 1 inch deep) with pie paste.
Divide the apple marmalade evenly at the bottom of the molds.
Cook the apples
Peel, core, and quarter the apples, then cook them in a saucepan with cold water for 10 minutes.
Drain the apples thoroughly and let them cool for 30 minutes.
Bake and serve
Slice each quartered apple into three lengthwise pieces and arrange them over the marmalade.
Sprinkle the powdered sugar evenly over the apples.
Bake for 25 minutes, then let cool for 20 minutes.
Spread the apple jelly evenly over the tarts and serve on a dessert dish.
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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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
- Pie paste
- Forms the crisp shell that holds the filling in each tart.
- Apples
- Provide the main filling and fruit flavor once cooked and baked.
- Apple marmalade
- Adds a concentrated layer of apple flavor and sweetness beneath the fruit.
- Powdered sugar
- Dissolves slightly into the fruit, adding sweetness to the filling.
- Apple jelly
- Adds a glossy finish and extra sweetness on top of the baked tarts.
The step that matters
Drain the apples thoroughly. Apples release water as they cook. Excess moisture left in the filling can make the pastry soggy and dilute the flavor during baking, so draining and cooling them first helps the shell stay crisp.
“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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