Why it works: Almond and rice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,456 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Macaroons
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a steady oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the mixture
Pound the almonds and sugar in a mortar until fine.
Add cornstarch and flour, mixing into a smooth paste with the egg whites.
Shape and bake
Drop small amounts of the mixture onto a sheet of paper using a cornucopia.
Dust with sugar and bake in a steady oven at 350°F (175°C) until fawn colored.
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 + ricetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,456 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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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).
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Sugar + ricetop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,744 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
- Blanched sweet almonds
- Provide the main body and nutty flavor of the macaroons.
- Lump sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the mixture bind and brown in the oven.
- Cornstarch
- Adds softness and lightness to the texture of the cookies.
- Rice flour or wheat flour
- Gives the paste structure so the drops hold their shape while baking.
- Egg whites
- Bind the paste together and help the macaroons set as they bake.
The step that matters
Pounding the almonds and sugar until fine. If the almonds and sugar are not ground finely enough, the paste will be grainy and uneven, and the macaroons may not spread or set smoothly in the oven.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, rice, egg):
- Almondthe original
- Sesamefits about as well
- Milletfits about as well
- Chestnutfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, rice, 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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