Name: Cointreau Rice Pudding
Ingredients: 4 large navel oranges; 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; 3 cups hot cooked rice; 4 eggs, separated; 2 cups half and half; 2 cups milk; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange flavored liqueur; 1 tablespoon grated orange peel; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/8 teaspoon salt; Cointreau Sauce:; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 cup boiling water; 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; 1 tablespoon grated orange peel; 3 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange flavored liqueur; Candied orange peel for garnish; Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

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 + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Orange + vanillatop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,371 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Rice + milktop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,374 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Eggs: Whites are beaten and folded in for a light, airy custard structure, and yolks enrich the custard.
Cooked rice: Forms the body of the pudding, absorbing the custard as it bakes.
Half and half: Adds richness and creaminess to the custard through its milk fat.
Milk: Provides liquid that sets with the eggs into a soft custard.
Sugar: Sweetens the pudding and helps tenderize the custard.
Cointreau: Adds orange aroma and flavor to both the pudding and the sauce.

The step that matters

Folding in the egg whites. Whites beaten until stiff but not dry trap air that gives the pudding lift. Overbeaten whites turn grainy and deflate, while under-folding leaves dense streaks.

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, rice, egg, milk, sugar, vanilla, sauce):

Coconutfits better
Figfits better
Peachfits better
Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, rice, egg, milk, sugar, vanilla, sauce. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Sauce	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0
Peppermint	not in our table	0

Cointreau Rice Pudding