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 ↓
Orange Tarts
a dozen small tart shellsIngredients
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, then cut them in half and remove the seeds.
Slice the oranges and fill the tart shells with a layer of oranges and a layer of sugar.
Use about 1 pound of sugar for a dozen small tart shells, adjusting for the amount of orange.
Bake and finish
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) until set.
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 tart, bitter citrus flavour that the filling is built on.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and balances the bitterness of the oranges.
- Crisp pastry
- Forms the shell that holds the filling while it bakes.
The step that matters
Boiling the oranges. Boiling softens the peel and draws out bitterness. Skipping or shortening it leaves the filling harsh, so the oranges should be boiled until tender before slicing.
“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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