Why it works: Almond and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,655 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
To Blanch and to Pound Almonds
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the almonds
Place almonds in a saucepan with plenty of cold water.
Heat the water slowly until just scalding.
Transfer the almonds to a basin and peel them, placing them in cold water as you go.
Dry the almonds well with a soft cloth before use.
For easier pounding, dry the almonds in a warm room for 2-3 days on a large dish.
Pound the almonds
While pounding, sprinkle with a few drops of cold water, egg white, or lemon juice.
Pound the almonds to a smooth paste, preferably after roughly chopping them first.
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.
-
Almond + lemontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,655 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Almonds
- Provide the main bulk and rich flavour of the paste once pounded smooth.
- Cold water
- Helps keep the almonds moist and easier to pound into a smooth paste.
- Lemon juice or egg white
- Added in small amounts while pounding to keep the paste moist and cohesive.
The step that matters
Heat the water only until just scalding. Boiling the water can partly cook the almond surface and make it harder to peel cleanly, while just-scalding water loosens the skins so they slip off easily.
“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.
You might also like
Green Corn Pudding64 recipes
Cornmeal mush12 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.