Why it works: Chocolate and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,020 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
Directions
Make the filling
Cream together the grated chocolate, butter, vanilla, sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks.
Stir in the boiling water constantly until the mixture thickens.
When cool, pour the filling into browned pie shells.
Top and bake
Beat the egg whites with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 10 drops of vanilla until stiff.
Spread the egg whites over the pie.
Brown in the oven.
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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Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Vanilla + sugartop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Butter + vanillatop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,050 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Chocolate + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,543 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Vanilla and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the filling as it cooks with the boiling water.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the filling and help it set into a rich custard.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smooth, rich texture in the filling.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps stabilise the beaten egg whites.
- Grated chocolate
- Provides the chocolate flavour and body of the filling.
The step that matters
Stir in the boiling water constantly until the mixture thickens. Cornstarch only thickens fully when heated while stirred; stopping early leaves a thin filling, and stirring too little can scorch or lump it on the bottom of the pan.
“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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