Why it works: Almond and rose are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,465 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Almond Paste
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the paste
Blanch the almonds and beat them in a stone or marble mortar.
Gradually add rose-water to create a thick paste.
Mix in the honey thoroughly until smooth.
Store
Transfer the paste to small china pots or wide-mouthed glass bottles.
Add a little rose-water on top of each container and tie them closely.
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 + rosetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,465 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Almond + honeytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,069 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Rose + honeytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together94 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
- Fresh almonds
- Form the bulk of the paste, giving it body and a rich, nutty flavour.
- Rose-water
- Moistens the ground almonds into a spreadable paste and adds floral aroma.
- Honey
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and keeps the paste smooth and pliable.
The step that matters
Beating the almonds to a thick paste. Almonds must be ground finely and worked with rose-water gradually; adding liquid too fast can make the paste loose or grainy, while pounding too little leaves it coarse and uneven.
“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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