Why it works: Almond and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 25% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,645 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Almonds, to Pound
Ingredients
Directions
Dry the blanched almonds in a warm room for 2-3 days on a large dish.
In a mortar, roughly chop the almonds or add them whole.
Pound the almonds to a smooth paste, sprinkling with cold water, egg white, or lemon juice as needed.
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 + 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
- Blanched almonds
- Provide the fat and protein that pound into a smooth, cohesive paste.
- Egg white
- Adds moisture and binding so the pounded almonds hold together as a paste.
The step that matters
Pounding to a smooth paste. Almonds release their oil as they are crushed, and adding small amounts of liquid helps keep the paste from turning oily or crumbly. Adding liquid gradually, rather than all at once, lets you control the texture.
“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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