Why it works: Raisin and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,781 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓
Fruit Filling
Ingredients
Directions
Make the candy base
Boil the sugar until it reaches the candy stage.
Beat the egg white to a stiff froth.
Pour the hot candy over the beaten egg white and beat until cool.
Add the fruit and nuts
Stir in the chopped raisins, almonds, candied fruits, and French candy.
Beat the mixture well to combine.
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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Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,781 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + almondtop 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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Egg + raisintop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,556 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Boils to a candy stage, forming the sweet, set base of the filling.
- Egg white
- Beaten to a stiff froth, it traps air and gives the filling a light, airy structure.
- Seeded raisins
- Add chewiness and concentrated sweetness throughout the filling.
- Blanched almonds
- Add crunch and a nutty texture against the soft base.
The step that matters
Pouring the hot candy over the egg white. The candy must be hot enough to cook the egg white slightly while you beat it. Pouring slowly while beating keeps the foam stiff and prevents the mixture from deflating or becoming grainy as it cools.
“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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