Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Genoese Pastry
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very steady oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Whisk the eggs and sugar over hot water until light and thick.
Continue whisking until slightly cooled.
Melt the butter and heat, and sieve the flour.
Gently fold the melted butter and flour into the egg mixture.
Bake and cool
Quickly pour into a greased and lined baking sheet.
Bake in a steady oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes until firm and brown.
Turn out to cool.
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 + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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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).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Eggs
- Whisked with sugar to trap air, giving the sponge its light, aerated structure.
- Castor sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps the whisked eggs hold their foam while thickening.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a tender texture to the finished pastry.
- Flour
- Provides structure that sets the batter as it bakes.
The step that matters
Gently fold the melted butter and flour into the egg mixture. Folding preserves the air whisked into the eggs. Stirring or beating vigorously would deflate the foam, leaving a dense, flat result.
“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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