Why it works: Milk and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Hominy Gems
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the mixtures
Cook the hominy in boiling salted water for 15 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add hot milk to the cornmeal and cook in a double boiler for 15 minutes.
Combine the two mixtures, add sugar and fat, and set aside to cool.
Finish and bake
When cool, add well-beaten egg yolks, mix well, and fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.
Pour into hot greased gem pans and bake for 35 minutes at 350°F (175°C).
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.
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they lighten the batter and help the gems rise and hold a tender crumb.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and emulsify the batter, contributing to a tender texture and golden color.
- Cornmeal
- Provides the main body and structure of the gems once cooked and set.
- Fine hominy
- Adds a soft, slightly grainy texture and corn flavor to the batter.
- Hot milk
- Hydrates the cornmeal and adds moisture and softness to the batter.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps browning in the baked gems.
The step that matters
Fold in the egg whites gently. Stiffly beaten whites hold the air that lifts the batter. Overmixing after cooling deflates them, so the gems bake denser and flatter.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.