Why it works: Egg and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Batter for Timbale Cases or Fontage Cups
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, water, salt, and olive oil.
Gradually add flour until you achieve a thin batter consistency.
Let the batter stand for 2 to 3 hours before using.
Fry the timbale
Heat a kettle of oil until it smokes.
Dip a hot iron mold into the oil, then wipe off excess fat.
Coat the mold with batter and return it to the hot oil.
Cook until golden brown and drain on paper towels.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Olive + flourtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,871 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + olivetop 31% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,340 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Egg yolks
- Bind the batter and add richness and structure as they set in hot oil.
- Flour
- Forms the thin batter body that coats the mold and crisps when fried.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat to the batter, contributing tenderness and flavor.
The step that matters
Heating the mold in the oil. The mold must be hot and the oil smoking so the batter sets and browns on contact. A cool mold or oil lets the batter slide off or soak up grease and turn heavy.
“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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