Why it works: Almond and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
To Pound Almonds
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Dry the blanched almonds in a warm room for 2-3 days on a large dish.
Chop the almonds roughly on a clean surface.
Pound
Using a rolling pin, pound the almonds until smooth, adding a few drops of cold water, egg white, or lemon juice as needed.
For best results, use a marble slab to prevent oil absorption.
If making a sweet dish, sprinkle pounded sugar under the almonds while pounding.
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 + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Almond + eggtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Almonds
- Form the main body of the paste and supply the oils that give it richness.
- Cold water
- Adds a little moisture so the almonds pound smoothly without becoming greasy.
- Egg white
- Adds moisture and light binding so the paste holds together as it smooths.
- Pounded sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps break the almonds down into a finer texture.
The step that matters
Pound on a marble slab and add liquid only a few drops at a time. Almonds are rich in oil, and heavy pounding can release it and make the paste oily or greasy. A cool, non-absorbent surface and small amounts of liquid help keep the paste smooth and dry-textured.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar):
- Pecansfits about as well
- Almondthe original
- Chestnutfits about as well
- Milletfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, 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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