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Dessert

Jam Pies

A pie filled with a jam and cream mixture topped with meringue.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Cream and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓

Jam Pies

Ingredients

Directions

Make the filling

  1. Combine jam, heavy cream, butter, sugar, and egg yolks.

  2. Mix until smooth.

  3. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form to create a meringue.

  4. Gently fold the meringue into the jam mixture.

  5. Add vanilla extract and mix well.

Bake and serve

  1. Pour the mixture into a pie crust and bake until set.

  2. Let cool before serving.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  2. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  3. Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  4. Butter + vanillatop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,050 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Cream + vanillatop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together12,301 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

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

Egg yolks
Add richness and help the filling set and thicken when baked.
Egg whites
Whipped into a meringue to lighten the filling and add airy structure.
Butter
Adds fat for a rich, tender texture and smooth mouthfeel.
Heavy cream
Adds fat and moisture for a creamy, smooth filling.
Jam
Provides the main fruit flavor and sweetness.

The step that matters

Gently fold the meringue into the jam mixture. Whipped egg whites hold air that gives the filling its lightness. Stirring vigorously deflates the foam, leaving a dense, flat result.

“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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