Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tomates En Souffle
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the pulp
Stew down the tomatoes and drain off the liquid.
Press the fruit through a coarse sieve to obtain the pulp.
Make the soufflé
Beat the egg yolks and whites separately.
Mix the yolks with the tomato pulp and season with pepper and coarse sea salt.
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until combined.
Fill buttered souffle dishes with the mixture, not more than ¾ full.
Bake and serve
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 6 to 10 minutes, or until puffed and golden.
Serve immediately.
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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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Tomato + buttertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,918 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 50,580 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
- Tomato pulp
- Provides the main tomato flavour and moisture for the soufflé base.
- Eggs
- Whipped whites trap air and set during baking, giving the soufflé its rise and structure.
The step that matters
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Folding keeps the air bubbles in the whipped whites intact. Stirring or deflating them vigorously will reduce the rise the soufflé gets in the oven.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pepper, butter):
- Capsicumfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Chivefits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pepper, butter. 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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