Why it works: Butter and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 118,967 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Orange Soufflees
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the oranges
Cut the top off each orange and scoop out the inside.
Rub the pulp through a fine sieve and add the cornflour.
Make the base
In a pan, mix the egg yolks and butter until thick.
Add the orange pulp and stir until it boils.
Let the mixture cool.
Whisk, fill and bake
Whisk the egg whites until very stiff.
Gently fold the egg whites into the orange mixture along with the orange flower water.
Fill the orange skins about three-quarters full and pour the remaining mixture into small greased souffle cases.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.
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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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).
-
Orange + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Orange + buttertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,301 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Orange and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 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
- Eggs
- Whipped whites trap air that lifts the soufflé, while the yolks enrich the base.
- Cornflour
- Thickens the orange pulp so the base holds its body before folding.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, tender texture to the base.
- Orange pulp
- Supplies the main citrus flavour and acidity, and its liquid loosens the base.
- Castor sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the sharpness of the orange.
The step that matters
Fold the egg whites gently. Whites are full of trapped air that makes the soufflé rise. Stirring or deflating them while folding in the base releases that air, so the soufflé bakes flat and dense instead of light.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Lemonfits better
- Raisinfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against 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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