Why it works: Syrup and sugar match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,842 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Fondants
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the syrup and let it cool.
Remove any paper covering and crystals from the syrup.
Pour enough syrup over the fondants in each tray to cover them completely.
Store the trays in the warmest part of the bakery, covered with a damp cloth, for 10 to 12 hours.
After 10 hours, drain off the syrup by removing a small screw at the end of the pan.
Place the fondants on hair sieves and store in a warm cupboard until dry.
For a thicker coating of sugar crystals, leave the fondants longer in the syrup.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Syrup + sugartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,842 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Syrup + vanillatop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,855 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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
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