Why it works: Apple and clove are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,774 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Flan of Apples
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 apples
Peel, core, and cut each apple into 8 sections.
Place the apples in a saucepan with cloves and sherry (if using), cover, and cook in a water bath until tender but not breaking apart.
Bake the crust
Roll out the pastry to about ½ inch thick and line a 6-inch flan ring with it.
Fill the pastry with rice on a layer of greased paper and bake at 400°F (200°C).
Once baked, remove the rice and paper, and arrange the apples in a pyramid inside the pastry.
Strain any juice over the apples and sprinkle with sugar.
Top and finish
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and spread over the apples, then dredge with castor sugar.
Bake in a 300°F (150°C) oven until lightly browned.
Serve hot or cold.
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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Apple + clovetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,774 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Apple + sherrytop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together395 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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Sherry + clovetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,237 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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
- Soften into a tender filling that holds its shape and provides the main flavor.
- Egg whites
- Whisked to stiff peaks, they form a light topping that sets and browns in the oven.
- Pastry
- Forms a crisp, sturdy shell that holds the filling in the flan ring.
- Castor sugar
- Dredged over the egg white topping, it sweetens and helps the surface brown.
- Moist sugar
- Adds sweetness and a slightly caramel-like depth to the apples.
The step that matters
Whisking the egg whites to stiff peaks. Under-whipped whites stay runny and slump into the apples, while over-whipped whites turn grainy and dry. Stiff, glossy peaks trap air that sets into a light, even topping when baked.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, sugar, sherry, egg):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Clovethe original
- Gingerfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against apple, sugar, sherry, egg. 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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