Why it works: Lemon and peach work together. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 947 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Peach Charlotte
Ingredients
Directions
Make the jelly
Soften a tablespoonful of granulated gelatine in a cup of cold water.
Dissolve the gelatine in a cup of boiling water.
Add a cup of sugar.
Add 2 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice.
Add 1 cup of peach juice.
Soften the gelatine in cold water, dissolve in hot water, add the sugar, lemon and peach juice, strain.
Assemble and set
Whisk the whites of three eggs, or one cup of heavy cream.
When it begins to thicken, fold in the stiffly beaten whites or the whipped cream.
Line a mould with half peaches, hold them in place with a little of the jelly.
When the jelly is firm, gently pour in the Charlotte.
Garnish with whipped cream and peaches.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Peach | 1 medium (150g) | 59 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
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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Lemon + peachtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together947 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Peach + creamtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together721 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Peach + eggtop 29% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,048 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 44,316 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gelatine (in the method)
- Sets the jelly so it holds its shape when unmoulded.
- Eggs
- Whipped whites add lightness and airy structure to the filling.
- Heavy cream
- Whipped cream adds richness and a light, creamy texture.
- Peach juice
- Provides the main peach flavour and liquid for the jelly.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the sweetness of the jelly.
The step that matters
Fold in the whites or cream at the right moment. Fold only when the jelly has just begun to thicken. If it is too liquid, the whites or cream deflate and the filling loses its airy body; if it is already set, the mixture will not blend evenly.
Swap the peach
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lemon, cream, egg):
- Raspberryfits better
- Orangefits better
- Limefits better
- Peachthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against lemon, cream, 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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