Why it works: Apple and ginger are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,424 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Apple 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.
Prepare the filling
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Peel and quarter the apples, removing the cores.
Pack the apples closely in a pie dish, adding sugar and ground ginger to taste.
Heap the apples high in the center and add more sugar.
Top and bake
Roll out the puff pastry and brush the edge of the dish with beaten egg.
Cut the pastry to fit the dish and place it on top.
Press the edges together and cut a small hole in the center.
Decorate with a rose made from pastry, brush with water, and dust with sugar.
Bake for one hour.
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 + gingertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,424 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Sugar + gingertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together14,054 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Apple + eggtop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,461 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Sugar and ginger barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 14,054 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
- Baking apples
- Provide the bulk of the filling, softening as they bake to form the pie's body.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the apples caramelize and brown slightly during baking.
- Puff pastry
- Forms the flaky, golden top crust that encloses the filling.
- Beaten egg
- Brushed on the pastry to promote browning and a glossy finish.
The step that matters
Press the edges together and cut a small hole in the center. A tight seal keeps juices from leaking out during baking, and the central vent lets steam escape so the crust stays crisp rather than soggy.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, sugar, egg):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Gingerthe original
- Clovefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against apple, sugar, egg. 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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