Why it works: Raisin and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,781 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓
Fruit Candy
Ingredients
Directions
Knead the chopped raisins, figs, citron, and almonds into some plain fondant.
Roll out a layer of plain white fondant about 1-2 inches thick.
Add a layer of pink fondant on top of the white layer.
Spread a layer of the fruit mixture over the pink layer.
Add another layer of pink fondant over the fruit.
Cover with a final layer of white fondant that extends over the sides.
Roll the entire layered fondant in melted chocolate.
Place on wax paper to harden.
Once hardened, slice across like a loaf of bread.
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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Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,781 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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Fig + almondtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together519 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Raisin + figtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together737 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Almond + chocolatetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,733 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Fig + chocolatetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together140 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fig, almond, chocolate):
- Vanillafits better
- Cherryfits better
- Coconutfits better
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against fig, almond, chocolate. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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