Why it works: Sugar and gelatin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,778 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Pattie Fondant
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
In a kettle, combine sugar and water.
Add boric acid and bring to a boil, skimming off any formation on the surface.
Wash down the sides and cover with a wooden or steel lid, allowing to steam for 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove the cover and cook until the mixture reaches 236°F (113°C).
Finish and cool
Add starch dissolved in a tumbler of water and continue cooking until it reaches 246°F (119°C).
Remove from heat and stir in the soaked gelatin until fully dissolved.
Pour onto a damp slab and allow to cool before creaming.
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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Sugar + gelatintop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,778 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Forms the sweet, crystalline body of the fondant once cooked and worked.
- Water
- Dissolves the sugar so it can be cooked into a syrup at controlled temperatures.
- Starch
- Helps thicken the mixture and gives the fondant a smoother, softer texture.
- Gelatin
- Adds elasticity and body, helping the fondant hold its shape and texture.
The step that matters
Cooking to the set temperatures. Sugar syrup concentration depends on final temperature. Undercooking leaves the fondant soft and sticky, while overcooking makes it hard and grainy once creamed.
“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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