Why it works: Almond and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,800 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Almond Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the batter
Mix the German yeast with a little lukewarm water.
Add the ground almonds to the yeast mixture and mix well.
Allow the mixture to stand in a warm place for 15 minutes until spongy.
Beat the egg with a little milk and add saccharin to taste.
Mix the egg mixture with the ground almonds.
Bake
Place the mixture in a pudding dish and bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 15 minutes.
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 + milktop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 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
- Ground almonds
- Provide the bulk and nutty flavour of the pudding.
- German yeast
- Causes the mixture to rise and turn spongy while it stands.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture and helps it set as it bakes.
The step that matters
Standing the yeast mixture until spongy. The yeast needs warmth to become active; if the mixture is too cool it will not rise and turn spongy, leaving a dense pudding. Lukewarm water keeps the yeast alive rather than killing it with heat.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, milk):
- Pecansfits better
- Cocoafits better
- Peasfits better
- Almondthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, milk. 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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