Why it works: Sugar and egg 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 Souffle
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the prunes
Cook the prunes until soft.
Strain the cooked prunes through a colander.
Make the soufflé
Add the sugar and beaten egg whites to the strained prunes.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish.
Bake and serve
Bake for 20 minutes in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C).
Serve cold with whipped cream.
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.
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 + eggtop 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, moisture and fruity flavour of the soufflé.
- Egg whites
- Trap air when beaten, giving the soufflé its light, airy structure as it bakes.
- Fine sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps stabilise the beaten egg white foam.
The step that matters
Adding the beaten egg whites. Egg whites hold air only while their foam is intact. Add them gently to the prune base so the mixture stays light, otherwise the soufflé will bake up less airy and may be dense.
“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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