Why it works: Orange and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,212 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
501 Orange Tarts
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the oranges
Boil the oranges to remove bitterness.
Cut them in half and remove the seeds.
Slice the oranges.
Fill and bake
In each tart shell, layer oranges and sugar.
Bake in a 300°F (150°C) oven until done.
Finish
Ice the tarts after baking.
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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Orange + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Orange and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 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
- Seville oranges
- Provide the sharp, bitter citrus flavour that defines the filling.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the bitter oranges and helps create a thick, set filling.
- Crisp pastry
- Forms the crisp shell that holds the orange and sugar filling.
The step that matters
Boil the oranges to remove bitterness. Boiling softens the peel and draws out some of the bitter compounds, so the filling tastes balanced rather than harsh once sweetened and baked.
“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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