Why it works: Rhubarb and raisin work together. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 47 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a cool oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Scald the rhubarb in boiling water.
Assemble and bake
In a bowl, combine the rhubarb with raisins and sugar to taste.
Place the mixture between two pie crusts.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) 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.
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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Rhubarb + raisintop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together47 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Raisin + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Rhubarb + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,852 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rhubarb
- Provides the main tart flavour and juicy filling.
- Raisins
- Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness to the filling.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and balances the rhubarb's tartness.
- Pie crusts
- Enclose the filling and hold its shape while baking.
The step that matters
Baking until done. Rhubarb releases a lot of liquid as it cooks. If the pie is underbaked, the filling stays watery and the bottom crust can turn soggy. The record gives no time, so judge doneness by the filling and crust rather than the clock.
Swap the rhubarb
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, sugar):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Rhubarbthe original
- Gingerfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, 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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