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Dessert

Apple, Almond Cream

A dessert of grated apples mixed with almond cream, raisins, nutmeg, and egg white.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Raisin and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,781 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓

Apple, Almond Cream

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Peel and grate the apples.

  2. Blanch and grind the almonds.

Mix and serve

  1. Add nutmeg, chopped raisins, and beaten egg white to the mixture.

  2. Fold in the thick cream and mix all ingredients thoroughly.

  3. Serve immediately.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,781 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

  2. Almond + nutmegtop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,115 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,377 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).

  4. Apple + nutmegtop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,790 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  5. Apple + raisintop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,920 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

Apples
Provide the bulk, moisture, and fresh sweetness of the cream.
Sweet almonds
Add richness, body, and a fine, slightly grainy texture once ground.
Raisins
Add concentrated sweetness and a soft, chewy contrast.
Egg white
Adds lightness and helps bind the mixture together.
Thick cream
Adds fat, richness, and a smooth, velvety mouthfeel.

The step that matters

Serve immediately. Freshly grated apple turns brown as its exposed flesh oxidises in air. Serving right after mixing keeps the cream pale and its fresh apple flavour bright.

Swap the apple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, almond, egg, nutmeg, cream):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Figfits better
  3. Coconutfits better
  4. Applethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, almond, egg, nutmeg, cream. 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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