Why it works: Walnut and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 993 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Baked Oandy
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.
Make the walnut base
Beat the egg white until stiff.
Add brown sugar and chopped walnuts.
Spread the mixture ½ inch thick in a buttered pan.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) until set.
Make the candy
Boil gum arabic in water over low heat, stirring until dissolved.
Strain the gum arabic mixture.
Add powdered sugar to the strained mixture.
Heat the mixture in a double boiler, stirring constantly until stiff and white.
Remove the mixture from heat.
Add the beaten egg white and stir until well blended.
Flavor with vanilla and mix in chopped almonds.
Press the mixture into a box lined with waxed paper.
Let the mixture cool.
Cut and wrap
Cut the cooled mixture into bars.
Wrap each bar in wax paper.
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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Walnut + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together993 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Almond + vanillatop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,961 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Walnut + vanillatop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,730 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 and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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 white
- Whipped to stiff foam, it gives the candy and walnut base an airy, light structure.
- Gum arabic
- Dissolved in water, it acts as a binder that helps the candy hold together and set firm.
- Powdered sugar
- Dissolves readily into the syrup, adding sweetness and helping the mixture firm up as it cooks.
- Blanched almonds
- Chopped and folded in, they add crunchy texture and nutty flavor throughout the candy.
- English walnuts
- Chopped fine and baked into the base, they add nutty flavor and a firm, crisp texture.
The step that matters
Heat in the double boiler until stiff and white. Stirring constantly over gentle heat keeps the sugar from scorching and lets the mixture thicken evenly. Stopping too early leaves it soft, and overheating makes it grainy or brittle.
Swap the walnut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, almond, vanilla):
- Hazelnutfits better
- Chestnutfits better
- Pistachiofits better
- Walnutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, almond, vanilla. 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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