Why it works: Lemon and grape are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,412 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Grape Sponge
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the gelatin
Soak gelatin in cold water and dissolve by standing the gelatin in hot water.
Soak gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes.
Dissolve in boiling water.
Soak gelatin in grape juice, and dissolve over boiling water.
Make the grape gelatin
Dissolve sugar in fruit juice and strain the gelatin into the mixture.
Strain and add lemon and grape juices and sugar.
Add sugar and lemon juice. When dissolved, add grated rind and powdered sugar.
Set in ice water and when it thickens add beaten egg whites, and beat with an egg beater until it is light and spongy.
Set in ice water, and when it thickens add grapes cut in halves and seeded. Mold on ice and garnish with violets when served.
Set in ice water to thicken; then add seeded and skinned grapes and place on ice.
Beat the egg whites and add fruit juice mixed with sugar. Add cream and beat. As froth rises, take it off and drain on a sieve.
Place in ice water, and when it thickens fold in cream.
Serve
Put into a glass dish or shape in a mold on ice.
Pour the unwhipped mixture into nates and pile with whip on top. Serve cold.
Turn into mold lined with lady fingers. Serve garnished with violets.
Serve with cream or boiled custard made from the yolk of the eggs.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
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.
-
Lemon + grapetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,412 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Grape + sugartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,490 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Sets the juice into a soft, wobbly structure as it cools.
- Eggs
- Egg whites whipped in add lightness and a spongy, airy texture.
- Grape juice
- Provides the main flavour and liquid base of the jelly.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and balances the tartness of the lemon.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour of the grape jelly.
The step that matters
Setting the gelatin in ice water. Gelatin must thicken to a syrupy state before the egg whites or grapes are folded in; if it sets fully or stays too warm, the mixture will be lumpy or fail to hold air and suspended fruit evenly.
Swap the grape
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, lemon, sugar):
- Orangefits better
- Vanillafits better
- Limefits better
- Grapethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, lemon, sugar. 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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