Why it works: Gelatin and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,778 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Snow Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the gelatin
Soak the gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water for 2 hours.
Add the boiling water to the gelatin and stir until dissolved.
Mix in the sugar and lemon juice.
Strain the mixture.
Set and fold
Set the mixture in a pan of ice, stirring occasionally.
When it begins to harden, fold in the beaten egg whites until light and stiff.
Pour into a mold that has been wet with cold water.
Chill thoroughly.
Serve
Serve with soft custard or chocolate sauce.
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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Gelatin + sugartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,778 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Gelatin + lemontop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,215 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-pinene (pine, resin).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Gelatin
- Sets the liquid into a firm, sliceable structure that holds the pudding's shape.
- Egg whites
- Whipped into foam, they lighten the texture and give the pudding its snowy airiness.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and balances the sharpness of the lemon juice.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and cuts the sweetness.
The step that matters
Fold in the egg whites at the right moment. Fold the whites in only when the gelatin mixture has just begun to thicken. If it is too liquid, the foam deflates and the pudding loses its lightness; if it is too firm, the whites will not blend evenly.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (gelatin, sugar, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against gelatin, sugar, egg. 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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