Why it works: Almond and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 25% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,645 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Peach Macaroon Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Assemble the base
Place 12 stale macaroons in a pudding dish.
Cover with sliced peaches (1 can).
Add powdered sugar.
Make the custard
Make custard by whisking yolks of 3 eggs with 1 pt milk and 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
Pour custard while hot over peaches.
Top and bake
Beat egg whites stiff and add 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Spread whites over custard.
Sprinkle 20 blanched almonds on top.
Put in oven to brown.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
| Pudding | 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.
-
Almond + eggtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken the custard and whites, beaten stiff, form a light topping that sets and browns.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the milk and egg custard so it sets softly rather than running.
- Macaroons
- Stale macaroons soak up the custard and give the pudding a dense, cake-like base.
- Almonds
- Toasting in the oven adds a nutty flavor and crunchy contrast to the soft topping.
The step that matters
Spreading the beaten whites over the custard. Whites beaten stiff hold their shape and brown in the oven; if they are underbeaten they collapse and sink into the custard, leaving a dense, wet top.
“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.
You might also like
Almond Sponge Cake26 recipes
Almond Custard22 recipes
Almond Wafers22 recipes
Coconut Almond Cake17 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.