Why it works: Almond and orange are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,125 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Moist Macaroons
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slack oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the paste
Pound the almonds with the orange-flower water.
Combine the almond mixture with the sugar in a saucepan.
Stir over low heat until the mixture begins to string when lifted with a spoon.
Allow the mixture to cool partially, then add the egg whites and mix thoroughly.
Shape and bake
Shape the mixture into oval forms and place on a baking sheet.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until lightly colored.
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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Almond + orangetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,125 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Almond + angelicatop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together135 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Orange + angelicatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together159 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and orange barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 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
- Jordan almonds
- Provide the main bulk and body of the paste, with fat and protein that give a tender crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the paste and helps it form a syrupy mass that holds its shape.
- Egg whites
- Bind the paste and set in the oven to give the macaroons structure and a light texture.
- Double orange-flower water
- Adds a floral aroma that defines the flavor of this dish.
- Chopped candied orange peel
- Adds chewy texture and concentrated citrus sweetness and aroma.
The step that matters
Cool the almond mixture before adding the egg whites. If the cooked mixture is still too hot, the egg whites can partly cook and scramble instead of blending smoothly. Cooling it partially keeps the whites fluid so they mix in evenly and the shaped pieces bake with a uniform texture.
Swap the angelica
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (almond, sugar, orange, egg):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Gingerfits about as well
- Angelicathe original
Fit is the average pairing score against almond, sugar, orange, 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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