Why it works: Almond and walnut match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 993 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Nut Bonbons
Ingredients
Directions
Make the centers
Work the fondant until creamy, adding a few drops of almond extract.
Roll the fondant into small balls.
Add the nuts
Press half an English walnut on either side of each ball.
If dipping the nuts, use melted fondant thinned with a few drops of boiling water.
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.
-
Almond + walnuttop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together993 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
- Fondant
- Forms the sweet, creamy center that holds the shape of each bonbon.
- Almond extract
- Adds a concentrated almond aroma to the sweet fondant.
- English walnuts
- Add a crunchy texture and nutty flavor to the outside of each bonbon.
The step that matters
Thinning the dipping fondant. Fondant that is too thick will clump or coat unevenly, while adding water too quickly makes it runny and dull. Add boiling water only a few drops at a time, stirring until the fondant flows smoothly.
“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.
You might also like
Almond Sponge Cake26 recipes
Almond Custard22 recipes
Almond Wafers22 recipes
Coconut Almond Cake17 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.