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.
Make the mixture
Whisk the egg white to a very firm froth.
Gradually add the sifted sugar until well combined.
Dust your fingers with a little sifted sugar and roll the mixture into small balls, no larger than a nut.
Shape and bake
Place the balls in small round paper cases, plaiting the edges with a knife.
Lightly moisten the tops with a finger or a paste brush dipped in cold water.
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 into a firm foam that gives the sugar sweets their light, airy structure.
- Sifted sugar
- Stiffens the whipped white and sweetens the mixture, setting as it bakes.
The step that matters
Whisking the egg white to a very firm froth. Egg white foam holds air only when whisked firm enough; under-whipped whites collapse and yield dense, flat sweets. Gradual sugar addition keeps the foam stable.
“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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