Why it works: Almond and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Souffles Aux Amandes Ameres —
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the almonds
Blanch the sweet and bitter almonds.
Cut the blanched almonds into fillets.
Mix the almonds with 4 ounces of sifted sugar and ¼ of an egg white.
Spread the mixture on a large baking sheet.
Bake in a 300°F (150°C) oven until light brown.
Make the icing and shape
Mix 20 ounces of sifted sugar with 2 egg whites.
Work the mixture for 15 minutes.
Add the almonds to the sugar mixture, ensuring they are evenly coated.
Test a macaroon in the oven.
If it holds its shape, form the rest.
If the icing falls, add more sugar; if it is too firm, add more egg white.
Wet your hands. Mold a teaspoonful of the mixture into balls the size of nutmegs.
Moisten the surface slightly with your finger.
Place the balls on sheets.
Bake and finish
Bake in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 20 minutes, keeping the oven shut.
Remove the macaroons when they are a fine light color and firm.
Let them cool before taking them off the paper.
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 + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Almond + eggtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sweet almonds
- Form the bulk of the macaroon, giving body and a nutty flavor.
- Bitter almonds
- Add a sharper almond aroma that balances the sweetness.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the macaroons and, mixed with egg white, forms the structure of the icing.
- Egg whites
- Bind the almonds and sugar into a shapeable mixture that sets and holds its form when baked.
The step that matters
Adjusting the icing consistency. The almond-sugar-egg white mixture must be tested and balanced: too much sugar makes it fall, too much egg white makes it stiff. Testing a macaroon first prevents a whole batch from spreading or cracking.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg):
- Pecansfits about as well
- Almondthe original
- Chestnutfits about as well
- Milletfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg. 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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