Why it works: Lemon and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Lemon Tart
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, lemon juice, grated lemon rind, and water.
Grease a flat dish and cover it with puff pastry.
Pour the lemon mixture into the pastry.
Top and bake
Whip the egg whites to a stiff froth with the caster sugar and spread over the mixture.
Bake until lightly browned and serve cold.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the lemon filling into a rich, set custard as they cook.
- Egg whites
- Whipped with sugar to form a stiff foam that bakes into a light, browned topping.
- Lemon
- Provides the sharp acidity and aroma that flavour the filling.
- Castor sugar
- Sweetens the egg whites and helps them whip into a stable, glossy foam.
- Puff pastry
- Forms the flaky base that holds the filling while it bakes.
The step that matters
Whipping the egg whites to a stiff froth. Egg whites must be whipped until they hold stiff peaks, because any grease or leftover yolk will prevent them from foaming properly. A stable foam keeps the topping light and lets it brown evenly in the oven.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
- Datesfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar. 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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