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Breakfast

Breakfast in a Cup

A baked breakfast casserole made with rice, cheese, eggs, green chiles, pimientos, cumin, salt, pepper, milk, and paprika.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Cumin and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,382 recipes. Both carry methyl cinnamate, which smells strawberry. The science ↓

Breakfast in a Cup

Oven400°F

Ingredients

Directions

Make the crust

  1. Combine rice, 3/4 cup cheese, and 2 eggs (slightly beaten) in a large bowl.

  2. Press mixture equally into the bottoms and sides of 12 greased muffin cups.

  3. Bake at 400°F for 5 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Fill and bake

  1. Blend chiles, pimientos, cumin, salt, pepper, milk, remaining 1/2 cup cheese, and 2 eggs in a small bowl.

  2. Pour mixture equally into the cups.

  3. Sprinkle with paprika.

  4. Return to oven.

  5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until set.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

673Calories
33 gProtein
33 gFat
61 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

  1. Cumin + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,382 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  2. Rice + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,374 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  3. Rice + cumintop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together933 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Cheese + milktop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,426 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  5. Rice + peppertop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,379 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cooked rice
Forms the base structure of each muffin cup, holding the shape together.
Eggs
Bind the rice and filling and set into a firm, sliceable custard as they cook.
Cheddar or american cheese
Adds richness and fat, and melts to help bind the rice and filling together.
Milk
Adds moisture to the filling so it cooks into a soft, tender custard.

The step that matters

Bake the crust until lightly browned before adding the filling. Pre-baking sets the rice-and-egg shell so it holds its shape and does not turn soggy when the wet filling is poured in.

Swap the cumin

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, cheese, egg, pepper, milk):

  1. Nutmegfits better
  2. Cinnamonfits better
  3. Turmericfits better
  4. Cuminthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rice, cheese, egg, pepper, 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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