Why it works: Almond and orange are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,125 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Orange Cheesecakes
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 350°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Blanch the almonds and finely grind them with orange water.
Mix the ground almonds with fine sugar and melted butter that is nearly cold.
Beat the egg yolks and egg whites separately, then combine them with the almond mixture.
Pound the candied oranges and fresh orange until smooth, then mix into the batter.
Bake and serve
Line patty pans with puff pastry and fill with the mixture.
Bake in a moderate oven (350°F / 175°C) until set.
Let cool before serving.
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 + orangetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,125 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Almonds
- Provide the main body and nutty flavour of the filling once ground.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and help the filling set when baked.
- Egg whites
- Add airiness and help give the baked filling its structure.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a tender, fatty texture to the filling.
- Candied oranges
- Contribute concentrated orange sweetness and flavour throughout the filling.
- Fresh orange
- Adds bright, fresh citrus aroma and acidity to the filling.
The step that matters
Beat the egg yolks and whites separately, then fold them in. Beating the whites separately and folding them gently keeps air in the batter, so the filling bakes light rather than dense. Overmixing knocks the air out.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (almond, sugar, butter, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against almond, sugar, butter, 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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