Why it works: Potato and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,230 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Another Way to Make Potatoe Cheese Cakes
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
Pound the potatoes in a mortar until smooth.
Add the butter, sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, eggs, and brandy.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
Bake
Line patty pans with pastry.
Fill the pans three parts full.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until set.
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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Potato + lemontop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,230 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Butter + lemontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Provide the bulk of the filling, giving it a soft, tender body once mashed smooth.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, contributing to a tender texture and a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the filling brown lightly during baking.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and set when baked, giving the cakes their firm structure.
- Lemon
- Adds bright acidity and aroma from the juice and grated peel.
The step that matters
Bake until set. Baking only until the filling is set keeps the eggs tender rather than over-cooked and rubbery, and the custard-like filling stays moist.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, lemon, egg, brandy):
- Shallotfits better
- Sweet potatofits better
- Arrowrootfits better
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, lemon, egg, brandy. 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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