Why it works: Apple and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,478 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
German Apple Tart
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the syrup and prepare the apples
Line a flat dish.
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan.
Boil until sugar dissolves.
Peel and core the apples.
Slice the apples.
Cook the apples
Cook the sliced apples in the syrup until tender.
Mash the apples into a pulp.
Cut the candied peel into thin slices.
Assemble and bake
Place the sliced candied peel on the pastry.
Pour the apple mixture over the candied peel.
Decorate with pastry.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes.
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.
-
Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Apple and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 16,478 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
- Apples
- Form the bulk of the filling, softening into a pulp that gives the tart its body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and, dissolved in water, forms the syrup the apples cook in.
- Candied peel
- Adds concentrated sweetness, aroma and chewy texture beneath the apple filling.
The step that matters
Cook the apples until fully tender in the syrup. The apples must soften enough to mash into a smooth pulp. Undercooked apples stay firm and give a lumpy, uneven filling, while overcooked apples turn watery and collapse.
“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.
You might also like
Apple Pudding256 recipes
Apple Cake80 recipes
Apple Meringue75 recipes
Dried Apple Cake51 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.