Why it works: Honey and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,069 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Liquid Almond Paste
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the honey separately and strain it.
Knead the almond paste with the strained honey.
Gradually add the yolks and almond oil, mixing well.
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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Honey + almondtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,069 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Almond + eggtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Honey + eggtop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,150 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Honey
- Sweetens the paste and keeps it soft and moist.
- Paste of bitter almonds
- Provides the main almond body and flavour of the mixture.
- Oil of bitter almonds
- Adds concentrated almond aroma.
- Yolks of eggs
- Bind with the oil and honey, adding richness and a smoother texture.
The step that matters
Gradually add the yolks and almond oil. Adding the yolks and oil slowly, while mixing, lets them emulsify into the paste. Adding them all at once can cause the mixture to separate or turn greasy and uneven.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (honey, egg):
- Almondthe original
- Pecansfits about as well
- Walnutfits about as well
- Sesamefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against honey, egg. 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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