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 ↓
Apple Tart
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Peel, core, and cut the apples into thick slices.
Roll the pastry into an oval shape slightly larger than the top of the pie dish.
Invert the dish in the center of the pastry and cut around it, leaving a 4‑inch margin.
Line the edge of the pie dish with the trimmings.
Assemble
Place half the apples in the dish, add the sugar and lemon rind, then add the remaining apples.
Moisten the pastry lining the edge of the dish with water, cover with the pastry, and press the edges together.
Notch the edges at intervals of about ¼ inch.
Bake and serve
Bake in a brisk oven at 400°F (200°C) for 40 to 50 minutes.
When the pastry has risen and set, brush it lightly with cold water and sprinkle with caster sugar.
Quickly return the tart to the oven.
If serving cold, gently raise the crust with a knife to allow steam to escape.
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 + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + clovetop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together17,182 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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, becoming soft and tender as they bake.
- Moist sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the apple juices caramelize slightly in the filling.
- Lemon rind
- Adds bright aromatic flavour that balances the sweetness of the apples and sugar.
- Short pastry
- Forms the crisp, rich crust that encloses and holds the filling.
The step that matters
Returning the tart quickly to the oven after brushing. Brushing the crust and sprinkling it with sugar opens the oven door, which cools the oven. Returning the tart quickly keeps the heat steady so the pastry finishes setting and browning instead of going pale and soft.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, sugar):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Gingerfits about as well
- Clovethe original
- Nutmegfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against apple, sugar. 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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