Why it works: Sugar and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20,806 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Fondant Made with Egg White and Sugar
Ingredients
Directions
Make the fondant dough
Beat one egg white with two tablespoons cold water until creamy.
Add the mixture to one pound of sifted confectioners' sugar and mix to form a dough that can be handled.
Keep a little dry sugar on hand to prevent sticking.
Divide the dough into portions and flavor to taste.
Shape the portions into balls or desired shapes, roll them in granulated sugar.
Cut candied fruit into pieces, mix with the fondant, cover with chocolate, and cut into squares.
Cook the syrup
Prepare a sugar syrup by putting sugar and water in a pot, stirring over heat until it boils.
After it boils for a few minutes, add vinegar.
Add a cup of ice water; when the syrup cracks and piles up in the cup, it is ready.
Color the syrup to a delicate shade before removing from heat, if desired.
Shape the candy
Pour the syrup in small rounds onto a greased marble surface.
Brush inverted jelly glasses with almond or peanut oil.
When the candy lifts with a knife, press it out with fingers and form over the glasses.
Move on the glasses often; if cooked correctly, the candy will stand alone in a few minutes; shape edges as desired.
Practice will be required to achieve success.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| 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.
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg white
- Whips into a foam that gives the sugar mixture its initial structure and body.
- Confectioners' sugar
- Forms the base of the dough, providing sweetness and bulk for shaping.
- Sugar
- Dissolves in water to form the syrup that sets into the smooth candy.
- Vinegar
- Acid that helps prevent the syrup from crystallizing into grainy sugar.
The step that matters
Judging the syrup's cook point. Sugar syrup must reach the right concentration before shaping. The ice-water test shows whether it has cooked enough; undercooked syrup stays sticky and overcooked syrup turns hard and brittle, so the cook must watch closely.
“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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