Why it works: Almond and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,961 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Almond Fritters
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, stir the egg yolks and sugar together until creamy.
Add the ground almonds, vanilla, and cornflour to the mixture.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the mixture.
Fry and serve
Heat frying fat in a pan over medium heat.
Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture into the hot fat and fry until pale brown.
Drain the fritters and serve hot.
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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Almond + vanillatop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,961 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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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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Vanilla + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,050 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Yolks bind and enrich the batter, while whipped whites add lightness and help the fritters rise.
- Ground almonds
- Provide the main body and nutty flavour of the fritters.
- Cornflour
- Helps set the batter and gives the fritters a tender, light texture.
- Castor sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps the yolks become creamy when beaten together.
The step that matters
Fold in the egg whites gently. Whisked egg whites trap air that gives the fritters lift. Stirring them vigorously deflates the foam, leaving dense fritters instead of light ones.
“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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