Why it works: Almond and walnut match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 993 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Fruit Candy
Ingredients
Directions
Make the coconut syrup
Combine 1½ pounds of granulated sugar and the milk of 1 coconut in a saucepan, then heat slowly.
Boil rapidly for 5 minutes, then add the grated coconut and boil for 10 more minutes, stirring constantly.
Test a small amount on a cold plate; if it forms a firm paste when cool, remove from heat.
Layer and set
Pour part of the mixture onto a large tin lined with greased paper.
To the remaining mixture, add ½ pound of stoned raisins, ½ pound of blanched almonds, 1 pint of pecans, and ½ cup of chopped walnuts.
Pour this over the first layer. When cool, cut into bars and 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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Almond + walnuttop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together993 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,781 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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Coconut + almondtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,093 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
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Pecans + walnuttop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together634 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
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Coconut + walnuttop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together606 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Granulated sugar
- Provides sweetness and, once boiled, the firm body that sets the candy.
- Coconut milk
- Supplies moisture and flavor for the sugar syrup to cook into candy.
- Grated coconut
- Adds texture and coconut flavor, and thickens the mixture as it boils.
- Pecans
- Add crunch and rich, buttery flavor to the set candy.
- Almonds
- Add crunch and nutty flavor throughout the candy.
The step that matters
Testing the firmness before removing from heat. Sugar syrup must reach the right concentration to set firm when cool. Removing it too early leaves a soft candy that will not hold its shape, while cooking too long makes it hard and brittle.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, milk, coconut, almond, pecans, walnut):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Cherryfits better
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, milk, coconut, almond, pecans, walnut. 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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