Why it works: Sugar and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Raspberry Tart
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, combine raspberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.
Fill and bake
Pour the mixture into the pre-baked tart shell.
Bake for 20 minutes until the filling is bubbly.
Cool and serve
Let cool before serving.
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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Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Raspberries
- Provide the main flavor and the juice that becomes the filling.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and balances the tartness of the berries.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the berry juices into a sliceable filling when heated.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the raspberry flavor and balances sweetness.
- Pre-baked tart shell
- Holds the filling and provides a crisp, sturdy base.
The step that matters
Bake until the filling is bubbly. Cornstarch only thickens fully once the juices reach a bubbling boil. An underbaked filling stays runny and will not hold its shape when cut.
“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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