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Dessert

Rice Cream

A chilled dessert made from cooked rice, gelatin, milk, sherry, heavy cream, almonds, and orange zest.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Norton, Caroline Trask · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 14 ingredients
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Rice Cream

Why it works: Almond and orange are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,125 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Rice Cream

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the rice and set the mould

  1. Put 1/2 cup well‑washed rice into one quart of boiling salted water, add the zest of half an orange or lemon. When the rice is tender, drain, remove the peel, and mix lightly.

  2. Add one tablespoonful of gelatin softened in a little cold water, dissolve with 1/2 cup hot milk and 1/2 cup sugar. When the mixture begins to firm, flavor with 3 tablespoonfuls of sherry or Madeira (optional), and fold in 1 cup heavy cream whipped stiff. Mould. Garnish with whipped cream and candied orange or lemon peel, or serve with plain cream or preserved fruits.

Finish and serve

  1. Blanch and cut finely 1/2 cup of almonds. Put them in a double boiler with 3 cups milk, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. When hot, add 1 cup well‑washed rice. Cook until the rice is tender.

  2. When ready to serve, dip out in frappe glasses, filling them about half full, put on a teaspoonful of jelly, then fill with thick whipped cream, with more jelly on top.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

549Calories
14 gProtein
15 gFat
86 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Orange1 medium (131g)62
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Almond1 almond (1.2g)7
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

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

By Norton, Caroline Trask. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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. See the original page.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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. Almond + orangetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,125 recipes

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

  2. Rice + almondtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,456 recipes

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

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

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

  4. Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  5. Rice + orangetop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Rice
Cooks to a soft, starchy body that gives the dessert its creamy, thick texture.
Gelatine
Sets the mixture so it holds its shape when moulded and served.
Heavy cream
Whipped to add airy lightness, richness and a smooth mouthfeel.
Milk
Forms the creamy liquid base that cooks the rice and dissolves the gelatine.
Almonds
Add a nutty flavour and a slight texture to the creamy rice.
Sugar
Provides sweetness that balances the richness of the cream and milk.

The step that matters

Fold in the whipped cream as the mixture begins to firm. If the gelatine mixture is still warm and liquid, the whipped cream deflates and sinks. Waiting for it to begin setting lets the cream stay airy and evenly distributed through the mould.

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, milk, sherry, cream, almond, sugar):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Figfits better
  3. Coconutfits better
  4. Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rice, milk, sherry, cream, almond, sugar. 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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