Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Savoury Tartlets
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.
Make the filling
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Whip the eggs and add 2 teaspoons of water to each egg.
Dissolve the mustard in a little water and mix the mustard mixture with the cheese and seasoning.
Add the mixture into the eggs.
Heat 1 oz. of butter in a frying pan until boiling.
Stir in the egg and cheese mixture, stirring with a knife until set.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool.
Make the crust
Rub 2 oz. of butter into the flour.
Add enough water to form a dough.
Roll out the dough thinly.
Line small patty pans with the dough.
Assemble and bake
Fill the lined pans with the egg and cheese mixture.
Moisten the edges of the pastry.
Cover with more pastry.
Press the edges together.
Bake the tartlets for 15 to 20 minutes until done.
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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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Cheese + mustardtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,805 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Cheese + creamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,655 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set into a firm, custard-like filling that holds the tartlet together.
- Grated cheese
- Adds richness, savoury flavour and body to the filling.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, keeping the filling soft and smooth.
- Allinson fine wheatmeal
- Forms the structure of the pastry crust that holds the filling.
- Butter
- Adds fat that tenderises the crust and gives it flavour.
The step that matters
Stirring the egg and cheese mixture until set. Eggs set into a custard when heated gently; cooking too hard or too long makes them curdle and turn grainy, so stir steadily and stop as soon as it thickens.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, cheese, butter, cream, pepper):
- Potatofits better
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, cheese, butter, cream, pepper. 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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