Why it works: Lemon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,318 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Snow Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the gelatine base
Dissolve one ounce of gelatin in one pint of cold water.
After the gelatin has thoroughly dissolved, pour one pint of boiling water over it.
Stir in one pound of sugar and the juice of four lemons.
Beat up the whites of six eggs.
Beat all together and continue beating until it begins to thicken.
Pour into a bowl.
Assemble and serve
Serve with sweetened cream flavored with wine and nutmeg.
Cover the bottom of the dish with Naples biscuit cut in slices, soaked with wine.
Have a good boiled custard and pour it over.
When cold, put whipped cream on top.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Water | 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.
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.
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Lemon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Egg + nutmegtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together24,744 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Sugar + nutmegtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together23,364 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Egg and nutmeg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 24,744 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
- Gelatin
- Sets the dissolved liquid into a light, wobbly structure as it cools.
- Eggs
- Whites beaten into the mixture add foam and airy lightness to the texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and balances the sharpness of the lemon juice.
- Lemons
- Juice adds acidity that brightens the flavour and cuts the sweetness.
The step that matters
Beat until it begins to thicken. Beating must be done while the gelatin mixture cools and sets. If it is beaten too late, after it is fully set, the foam cannot mix in evenly and the pudding loses its light, airy texture.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, lemon):
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
- Dillfits about as well
- Parsleyfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, lemon. 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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