Why it works: Nutmeg and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,115 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Chocolate Almond Egg Nougat
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
Place mixed scrap in a kettle with enough water to dissolve, about 3 quarts.
Melt and strain the mixture.
Cook the mixture to 250°F (120°C).
Pour half of the mixture over the well-beaten egg whites.
Add cocoa butter to the mixture.
Cook the other half of the mixture to 260°F (130°C).
Pour the cooked mixture into the egg mixture.
Test and finish the batch
Test the batch in cold water for a stiff ball consistency.
If the batch is too hard, add water and vanilla to reduce.
If the batch is not hard enough, cook over an ash fire or steam bath until it reaches the caramel test.
Add scrap fondant and work until smooth.
When the mixture is thick, add nutmeg, vanilla flavor, shaved chocolate, and Valencia almonds.
Set and cut
Pour the mixture into a wafer-lined box.
Cut into 5-cent slices (about 2x4 inches) the next day.
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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Nutmeg + almondtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,115 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Vanilla + almondtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,961 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Vanilla + chocolatetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Chocolate + almondtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,733 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Nutmeg + vanillatop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,781 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped to a foam that gives the nougat its light, airy structure.
- Scrap fondant
- Adds sweetness and a smooth, soft body when worked into the mixture.
- Cocoa butter
- Adds fat that gives a smooth mouthfeel and rich texture.
- Shaved chocolate
- Contributes chocolate flavor and richness to the nougat.
- Valencia almonds
- Add crunch and nutty flavor to the set nougat.
The step that matters
Testing the batch's sugar stage. Sugar syrup must reach the right temperature and consistency before the egg whites are folded in. Too hard makes the nougat brittle; too soft leaves it sticky and unable to set firmly, so the cook should test in cold water and adjust.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, cocoa butter, vanilla, chocolate, almond):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegthe original
- Peppermintfits less well
- Allspicefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, cocoa butter, vanilla, chocolate, almond. 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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