Why it works: Almond and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Almond Emulsion
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the almonds
Blanch the almonds by infusing them in boiling water, then peel them.
Make the emulsion
In a marble mortar, beat the almonds with the sugar to a smooth pulp.
Gradually add the water while continuing to rub until well blended.
Pass the mixture through fine muslin for use.
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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Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sweet almonds
- Provide the oil and protein that form the emulsion's body and flavour.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps grind the almonds into a smooth pulp.
- Pure water
- Carries the almond solids in suspension, creating a milky, pourable liquid.
The step that matters
Beating the almonds with the sugar to a smooth pulp. Almonds must be broken down finely before water is added. Large fragments stay gritty and separate out, so the emulsion turns out coarse rather than smooth and milky.
“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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