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Dessert

Apple Meringue Pies

A pie filled with grated apples and topped with a light meringue.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Almond and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,781 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓

Apple Meringue Pies

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the filling

  1. Line a deep pie plate with the pie crust.

  2. Grate the apples.

  3. Mix in the lemon peel and sugar to taste.

  4. If desired, add pounded almonds and cleaned raisins or currants.

  5. Beat the egg yolks and stir them into the apple mixture.

  6. Fill the crust with the apple mixture.

  7. Bake until set.

Make and bake the meringue

  1. Whip the egg whites until stiff.

  2. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cream of tartar.

  3. Flavor the meringue with rose water or vanilla.

  4. Spread the meringue over the pie.

  5. Return it to the oven until the meringue is light brown.

Serve

  1. Serve cold.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Almond + raisintop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,781 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

  2. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  3. Lemon + almondtop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,655 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Almond + rosetop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,465 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  5. Apple + raisintop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,920 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Apples
Provide the bulk and tart fruit flavour that forms the body of the filling.
Egg yolks
Enrich and help set the apple filling so it holds its shape when sliced.
Egg whites
Whip into a foam that forms the light, airy meringue topping.
Powdered sugar
Dissolves easily into the whites, sweetening and stabilising the meringue.
Cream of tartar
Acidifies the whites, helping them whip to a stable, stiff foam.
Sugar
Sweetens the apple filling and helps draw out juices as it cooks.

The step that matters

Whip the egg whites until stiff. Under-whipped whites collapse and weep, while over-whipped whites turn dry and grainy. Adding sugar gradually keeps the foam glossy and stable so the meringue holds its shape while baking.

“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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