Why it works: Almond and orange are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,125 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Almond Pudding, a Jewish Receipt
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Beat the yolks of 10 eggs and the whites of 7 eggs until well combined.
Add ½ pound of finely pounded sweet almonds, ½ pound of white sugar, ½ ounce of bitter almonds, and 1 tablespoon of orange‑flower water, then mix thoroughly and pour into a well‑buttered pudding dish.
Bake and serve
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until set.
Before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar on top or pour over clarified sugar mixed with orange‑flower water.
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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Almond + orangetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,125 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + almondtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Sugar and orange barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 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
- Eggs
- Yolks and whites set the pudding into a tender, sliceable custard as it bakes.
- Sweet almonds
- Provide the main body and nutty flavour of the pudding.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the pudding brown lightly at the surface.
- Bitter almonds
- Add a concentrated almond aroma that stands out against the sweet almonds.
The step that matters
Bake until set. Egg proteins coagulate as they heat, so underbaking leaves the pudding runny while overbaking makes it dry and rubbery. Watch for a firm centre rather than relying on time alone.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, almond, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, almond, sugar. 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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