Why it works: Egg and sugar 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 ↓
Sugar-kisses
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the mixture
Whisk the egg whites to a stiff froth.
Stir in the sifted sugar and flavoring.
Shape and bake
Drop the mixture onto white paper in desired shapes, an inch apart.
Place the paper on a clean board that is ½ inch thick.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) until light brown.
Finish
Use a table knife to slip them off the paper.
Stick the broad edges of two together, pressing gently to adhere.
Ensure they are the size and shape of an egg.
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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Egg + sugartop 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
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a stiff froth to trap air, giving the kisses their light, airy structure.
- White sugar
- Sweetens the kisses and, dissolved into the foam, helps set them into a crisp shell.
The step that matters
Bake in a hot oven until light brown. Sugar meringue is delicate; too little heat leaves it soft and sticky, while too much browns it quickly and can scorch it. Watching for a light golden color signals that the outside has dried and set.
“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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