Name: Nougat of Apricot
Ingredients: apricot marmalade (¼ inch thick); blanched almonds (cut into fillets); 2 ounces sugar; 1 egg white

Why it works: Apricot and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 852 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Nougat of Apricot

Oven, in the book's wordsA hot oven

Ingredients

apricot marmalade (¼ inch thick)
blanched almonds (cut into fillets)
2 ounces sugar
1 egg white

Directions

The book says “a hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Assemble

Spread apricot marmalade evenly over the pastry.
Mix blanched almond fillets with sugar and egg white.
Spread the almond mixture over the marmalade.

Bake and serve

Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C).
Cut into diamond shapes after baking.
Serve on a napkin in a crown or pyramid shape.

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.

Apricot + almondtop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together852 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,679 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Apricot + sugartop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,630 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together122,807 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Almond + eggtop 25% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,645 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Blanched almonds: Form the crunchy, chewy topping that gives the nougat its texture.
Sugar: Sweetens the topping and helps it caramelize and brown in the oven.
Egg white: Binds the almond fillets and sugar together so the topping holds its shape.
Apricot marmalade: Adds fruity sweetness and moisture beneath the almond topping.