Why it works: Red currant and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,156 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Red Currant and Raspberry Tart
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the fruit
Strip the currants from the stalks.
Place half of the currants in a pie dish with an inverted cup in the center.
Assemble the tart
Add the sugar and raspberries.
Top with the remaining currants, piling them high in the center.
Cover with pastry.
Brush lightly with water.
Sprinkle with caster sugar.
Bake
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes.
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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Red currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,156 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Red currants
- Provide the tart, tangy fruit base that gives the filling its main flavour and juice.
- Raspberries
- Add extra fruit flavour and aroma that complements the tart currants.
- Moist sugar
- Sweetens the tart fruit and helps draw out juice to form a syrup.
- Short crust pastry
- Forms a crisp, rich case that encloses the fruit and browns in the oven.
The step that matters
Piling the currants in the center. Fruit heaped high in the middle supports the pastry lid so it does not sink into the juices. Because the fruit shrinks and releases liquid as it bakes, the cup keeps the lid raised and prevents a soggy or collapsed top.
“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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