Why it works: Egg and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Prune Whips
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the prunes
Soak 1 pound prunes overnight in just enough water to cover.
In the morning, stone the prunes and stew them in the soaking water until they are soft and form a thick paste; add 1 small cupful of sugar.
Make the whip
When cool, mix thoroughly with 4 egg whites beaten to a stiff froth, adding 1 teaspoonful salt and 1/4 teaspoonful soda.
Bake and serve
Turn the mixture into a pudding dish and bake for 15 minutes, or until nicely browned, in a slow oven.
Serve cold with whipped cream.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Prune | 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.
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Prunes
- Provide the main body, sweetness and flavour of the whip as a thick paste.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to a stiff froth, they lighten the mixture and give it its airy structure.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the tartness of the stewed prunes.
The step that matters
Folding the egg whites into the cooled prune paste. Egg whites hold air only when beaten to a stiff froth, and the prune paste must be cool so it does not deflate them. Mixing thoroughly but gently keeps the lightness that makes the whip rise and set in the oven.
“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
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 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.