Name: Stars and Stripes Rice Pudding
Ingredients: 1 cup cooked rice; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1/2 cup milk; 1/2 cup whipping cream; 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; 1 egg yolk, beaten; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 cup fresh blueberries; 1/2 cup sliced strawberries; toasted sliced almonds for garnish (optional); whipped cream for garnish (optional); 2 eggs, beaten; 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese; 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese; 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, divided

Why it works: Vanilla and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,961 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. 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.

Vanilla + almondtop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,961 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,456 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Milk + buttertop 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).

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

What each ingredient does

Cooked rice: Forms the body of the pudding.
Milk: Thins the rice into a creamy base that thickens as it cooks.
Whipping cream: Adds richness and a smooth, velvety texture.
Sugar: Sweetens the pudding.
Egg yolk: Enriches the pudding and helps it set into a custard-like texture.
Butter: Adds richness and a glossy, smooth finish.

The step that matters

Whisk in the butter, egg yolk and vanilla quickly, off the heat. Egg yolk can scramble or turn grainy if it meets very hot mixture. Removing the pan from heat first and whisking quickly spreads the yolk through the rice evenly so it blends in smoothly instead of curdling.

“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
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Cottage Cheese	1/2 cup (113g) 2%	98
Blueberry	1 cup (148g)	84
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Strawberry	1 cup (152g)	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Almond	1 almond (1.2g)	7

Stars and Stripes Rice Pudding