Name: Nesselrode Pudding
Ingredients: one pint of cream; half pint of milk; half pound of sugar; one fourth pound of raisins; half pound of preserved fruit; an ounce of sweet almonds pounded; a stick of vanilla; six eggs

Why it works: Raisin and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,781 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓

Nesselrode Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

Make the custard

Prepare a custard of one pint of cream, a half pint of milk, a half pound of sugar, an ounce of sweet almonds pounded, six eggs, half a stick of vanilla.
Put the custard into a pan over slow fire; stir until of the proper consistency, being careful not to let it boil.
When cold, add a wine-glassful of brandy.

Freeze and mould

Partially freeze; then add one fourth pound of raisins, and a half pound of preserved fruit, cut small. Mix well, and mould.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

408Calories

16 gProtein

20 gFat

42 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Almond	1 almond (1.2g)	7
Fruit	not in our table	0

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

By Vehling, Joseph Dommers, 1879-1950. fmo. 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.

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.

Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,781 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Almond + vanillatop 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).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

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

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: Thicken the custard as they set on gentle heat, giving it a rich, smooth body.
Cream: Provides fat and richness, giving the frozen dessert a smooth, creamy texture.
Sugar: Sweetens the custard and softens the texture of the frozen mixture.
Raisins: Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness to the frozen custard.
Preserved fruit: Adds sweetness, acidity and chunky texture throughout the pudding.

The step that matters

Stir the custard over slow fire without boiling. Egg proteins thicken gently around 160°F to 180°F; boiling can curdle the eggs and leave the custard grainy instead of smooth.

Swap the raisin

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

Figfits better
Coconutfits better
Strawberryfits better
Raisinthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cream, milk, sugar, almond, vanilla, egg. 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.

Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes

Almond Sponge Cake26 recipes

Almond Custard22 recipes

Almond Wafers22 recipes

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Nesselrode Pudding