Why it works: Hazelnut and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 186 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Tartlets, Filbert
12 tartletsIngredients
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
Blanch and peel the filberts, then chop them finely.
Mix the cornflour smoothly with the cream or milk.
Heat the mixture over the fire until it thickens.
Cream the egg yolks and caster sugar together until thick and smooth.
Add the prepared nuts and ground almonds.
Stir in the thickened cornflour mixture.
Assemble and bake
Place the mixture into 12 tartlet pans lined with pastry.
Fix 2 thin strips of pastry across each tartlet.
Brush the pastry strips with milk.
Sprinkle the pastry strips with caster sugar.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 20 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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Hazelnut + almondtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together186 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Filbert + almondtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together80 recipes
Shared aroma: acetylpyrazine (roast).
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Filbert + hazelnuttop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together21 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Filbert + creamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Filberts (hazelnuts)
- Provide the main nutty flavour and a tender, slightly crumbly texture in the filling.
- Ground almonds
- Add body and moisture to the filling and reinforce the nutty flavour.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the filling and help it set into a smooth, rich custard texture when baked.
- Cornflour (cornstarch)
- Thickens the cream or milk so the filling holds its shape and stays smooth.
- Caster sugar
- Sweetens the filling and, sprinkled on the pastry strips, helps them brown.
The step that matters
Heating the cornflour mixture until it thickens. Cornflour only thickens fully once it reaches a simmer and its starch granules swell. Stopping early leaves a runny filling, while overheating can make it stiff or grainy, so stir constantly.
Swap the filbert
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (hazelnut, almond, sugar, egg, cream):
- Pistachiofits better
- Brazil nutfits better
- Cashew nutfits better
- Filbertthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against hazelnut, almond, sugar, egg, cream. 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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