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
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the crust
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Line a deep pie pan with a rich crust.
Bake the crust until set.
Make the filling
Sift together the flour and sugar in a saucepan.
Add the grated chocolate and butter to the flour mixture.
Pour the boiling water over the mixture and stir until smooth.
Add the beaten yolks of the eggs.
Cook until smooth and glossy.
Remove from heat.
Stir in the vanilla.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the baked crust.
Top and bake
Beat the egg whites until very stiff.
Gradually add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the whites.
Spread the meringue over the pie.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until browned.
Serve when completely cool.
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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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,241 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and vanilla 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
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken the filling as it cooks, and whites whip into the meringue topping.
- Flour
- Starch thickens the chocolate filling so it sets into a sliceable custard.
- Grated chocolate
- Provides the chocolate flavor and deep color of the filling.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and, whipped with the whites, stabilizes the meringue.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, glossy texture to the filling.
The step that matters
Cook the filling until smooth and glossy. Flour starch must be cooked fully to thicken; undercooked filling stays runny and can taste raw. Stir constantly to prevent lumps and scorching on the pan bottom.
“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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