Why it works: Almond and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,655 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Peach Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Use 1 can of peaches, or 1 quart fresh peaches.
Pare and stone the peaches.
Stew the peaches in the wine with 1 1/4 cups sugar and add the almonds.
When peaches are tender and wine has reduced to syrup, pour into a pudding pan.
Make the custard topping
Beat the yolks of the eggs with 1/2 cup sugar until light; add grated lemon rind and 1/2 of the stiffened whites.
Pour the egg mixture over the peaches and bake in a moderate oven until light brown.
Finish and serve
Cover with remaining stiffened egg whites mixed with 3 tablespoons sugar and brown lightly again.
Serve with whipped cream.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
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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Almond + lemontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,655 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Sugar + almondtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
-
Sugar + lemontop 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).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and lemon 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
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and set the custard, while whites give the topping lightness and structure.
- Peaches (in the method)
- Provide the main fruit flavor and moisture for the pudding base.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the stewed fruit, the custard, and the meringue-style topping.
- Blanched almonds
- Add a nutty flavor and a slight crunch to the pudding.
- White wine (in the method)
- Flavors the peaches and reduces to a syrup that moistens the pudding.
The step that matters
Folding the stiffened whites into the yolk mixture. Whites hold air only when stiff and unbroken; overmixing or adding them too roughly deflates them, so the topping bakes up light rather than dense.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, lemon):
- Pistachiofits about as well
- Milletfits about as well
- Almondthe original
- Chickpeafits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, lemon. 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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