Why it works: Egg and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Small Sugar Souffles
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a gentle oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Whisk the egg white to a very firm froth.
Gradually add the sifted sugar, mixing until well combined.
Shape
Dust your fingers with a little sifted sugar and roll the mixture into small balls, about the size of a nut.
Place the balls in small round paper cases, plaiting the edges with a knife.
Moisten the tops lightly with cold water using your finger or a paste brush.
Bake
Bake in a very gentle oven at 300°F (150°C) for 16 to 30 minutes, checking for firmness.
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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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg white
- Whipped to a firm froth, it traps air that lifts and gives the souffles their light, airy structure.
- Sifted sugar
- Sweetens the souffles and, mixed into the froth, helps give the mixture its body and set.
The step that matters
Whisking the egg white to a very firm froth. The froth is the only source of lift in this mixture. If the white is under-whisked, it will not hold enough air, and the souffles will come out dense rather than light.
“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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