Why it works: Pineapple and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 911 recipes. Both carry ethyl isobutyrate, which smells fruity, ethereal. The science ↓
Pineapple Souffle
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Bring the milk and vanilla pod to a boil, then remove from heat and let infuse for 30 minutes.
In another saucepan, melt the butter, stir in the flour, and cook for a few minutes.
Add the strained milk to the flour mixture, stir, and boil well.
Let it cool slightly.
Finish the mixture
Beat in the egg yolks, add the sugar, and fold in the diced pineapple.
Gently fold in the stiffly whisked egg whites.
Steam and serve
Grease a soufflé mold and decorate the bottom with strips or circles of angelica and pineapple.
Pour in the mixture, cover with greased paper, and steam gently for 45 to 60 minutes.
Unmold and serve with pineapple or another sweet sauce.
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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Pineapple + vanillatop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together911 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Vanilla + angelicatop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together170 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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
- Whites trapped air for lift, and yolks enrich the custard with richness and set structure.
- All-purpose flour
- Cooked with butter and milk, it thickens the base and gives the soufflé its body.
- Butter
- Melted with flour to form a roux, adding richness and helping to thicken the base.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base, which the flour thickens into a smooth, creamy panada.
- Preserved pineapple
- Adds sweetness, moisture and fruity flavour throughout the soufflé.
The step that matters
Gently fold in the stiffly whisked egg whites.. Egg whites hold air bubbles that give the soufflé its lift. Vigorous stirring knocks that air out, so fold slowly with a large spatula until just combined.
Swap the angelica
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pineapple, flour, sugar, butter, milk, egg, vanilla):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Clovefits about as well
- Angelicathe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pineapple, flour, sugar, butter, milk, egg, vanilla. 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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