Why it works: Apple and apricot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 777 recipes. Both carry gamma-undecalactone, which smells peach, sweet. The science ↓
Apple Meringue
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the apples
Cut the apples into quarters, peel, core, and slice them ½ inch thick.
In a sauté pan, melt the butter, add the sliced apples and powdered sugar, and stir over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
Add the apricot jam and mix well.
Assemble and bake
Transfer the apples to a round dish, raising them towards the center.
Whip the egg whites until firm, then gently mix in 4 oz. of powdered sugar.
Cover the apples thickly with the meringue mixture.
Sprinkle with additional sugar.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) for 10 minutes until the top is a nice yellow color.
Serve immediately.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + apricottop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together777 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-undecalactone (peach, sweet).
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Apple + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,706 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Butter + apricottop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,458 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Apples
- Provide the bulk of the dish and soften into a tender, sweet fruit base as they cook.
- Butter
- Adds richness and helps the apples cook in a glossy, flavorful fat.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the apples and dissolves easily into the meringue for a smooth, sweet topping.
- Apricot jam
- Adds sweetness, fruity aroma and a touch of moisture to the apple layer.
- Egg whites
- Whipped into foam, they form the light, set meringue topping that browns in the oven.
The step that matters
Whipping the egg whites until firm. Egg whites must be whipped to stiff peaks to trap air; under-whipped or greasy whites will not hold the meringue's shape or brown well in the oven.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, apricot, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Peachfits better
- Figfits about as well
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, apricot, 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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