Why it works: Almond and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,130 recipes. Both carry 2-heptanol, which smells bitter, floral. The science ↓
Almond Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the meat and almonds
Mince the meat.
Pound the minced meat in a mortar with the breadcrumbs and egg yolks.
Moisten the mixture with hot stock.
Add the finely ground almonds and pour over the remaining stock in a clean saucepan.
Make the thickened base
Heat the milk with a blade of mace and 6 white peppercorns until boiling.
Stir in rice flour blended with cold milk into a smooth paste.
Remove the spices and boil for 10-12 minutes, stirring constantly.
Combine and finish
When the stock boils, mix the contents of both pans together, adding salt to taste.
Beat in ½ cup of cream at the last moment.
Increase the quantity of meat.
Soak some shredded almonds in a little milk until flavored.
Strain the milk into the soup.
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 + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,130 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
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Milk + almondtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Almond + meattop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together486 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 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
- Stock
- Forms the liquid base of the soup and carries its flavor.
- Milk
- Adds creaminess and softness to the soup's body.
- Almonds
- Contribute nutty flavor and body when finely ground and steeped.
- Breadcrumbs
- Help bind the pounded meat mixture and add body to the soup.
- Eggs
- Egg yolks help bind the pounded meat mixture together.
The step that matters
Stir constantly while boiling the thickened base. The rice flour paste thickens as its starch swells in hot liquid. Without constant stirring it can lump or scorch on the bottom of the pan, giving the soup an uneven texture and burnt taste.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, egg, meat, cream):
- Pecansfits about as well
- Walnutfits about as well
- Almondthe original
- Peanutfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, egg, meat, cream. 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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