Why it works: Almond and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and 5,655 recipes mention both. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Richer Blanc-mange
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Sweeten the new milk with sugar to taste.
Dissolve 2 ounces of isinglass in a pint of milk over gentle heat.
Mix in the ground Jordan almonds and lemon juice, adding brandy if desired.
Set and serve
Strain the mixture and sweeten with sugar.
Let it cool until nearly set, then fold in fresh strawberries.
Pour into a mold and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Almond + lemontop 10% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,655 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Milk + almondtop 16% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together5,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Almond + brandytop 17% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together1,969 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Isinglass
- Sets the liquid into a soft, wobbly gel as it cools.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base and adds richness and creaminess.
- Ground jordan almonds
- Adds nutty flavour and some body to the mixture.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour of the milk and almonds.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the dessert.
The step that matters
Folding in the strawberries when nearly set. If the mixture is still too liquid, the strawberries sink to the bottom. If it has set fully, they cannot be folded in evenly. Cooling until just thickened holds the fruit suspended throughout the dessert.
Flavor stand-ins for the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, sugar, almond, brandy):
- Vanillabetter flavor fit
- Figbetter flavor fit
- Apricotbetter flavor fit
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, sugar, almond, brandy. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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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