Why it works: Sugar and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Swiss Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
Make the meringue layers
Beat the egg whites until very stiff.
Gradually add the sugar, vinegar, and vanilla, mixing well.
Divide the mixture into two layers and bake in the oven until set.
Make the walnut cream and assemble
Whip the cream with a little sugar until soft peaks form.
Fold in the chopped walnuts.
Spread the walnut cream between the baked layers and on top.
Garnish with Maraschino cherries.
Chill and serve
Chill until ready to serve, then cut into squares.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Vanilla + walnuttop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,730 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Vanilla + creamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,301 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a stiff foam that gives the baked layers their structure and airy lightness.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the meringue and helps stabilize the whipped egg white foam.
- Vinegar
- Acidity helps stabilize the beaten egg white foam so it holds its shape.
- Heavy cream
- Whipped to soft peaks to make a rich, moist filling and topping.
- English walnuts
- Add crunch and nutty flavor to the whipped cream filling.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites until very stiff. Egg white foam must be beaten enough to hold air, since that structure sets the layers. Underbeaten whites will collapse and yield a dense, flat result. Adding sugar gradually helps the foam stay stable.
Swap the walnut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, vinegar, vanilla, cream):
- Chestnutfits better
- Almondfits better
- Hazelnutfits better
- Walnutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, vinegar, vanilla, 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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