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 ↓
Rice Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash 2 ozs of Caroline rice.
Add 1 oz suet.
Add 1 pint milk and lemon rind.
Add 2 ozs sultana raisins and a little nutmeg.
Add 2 ozs currants and 2 eggs (optional).
Cook the rice
Put rice in a saucepan with water, stir until it boils, then boil for 3–4 minutes.
Strain the boiling liquid and pour it over the rice; let it simmer quietly.
Add a strip of lemon rind and suet while boiling; cook slowly until the rice is thick, about 1 hour to 20 minutes.
Stir in fruit, sugar, beaten eggs, and a little nutmeg.
Bake
Bake until firm; if the oven is too hot, put water in a tin around it.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
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.
-
Lemon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
-
Raisin + lemontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,742 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Milk + raisintop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,155 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).
-
Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 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
- Milk
- Provides the liquid that the rice absorbs and becomes a creamy, moist pudding.
- Rice (in the method)
- Its starch swells and thickens the liquid as it cooks, giving the pudding its body.
- Eggs
- Set when heated, binding the pudding and giving it a firmer, custard-like texture.
- Sultana raisins
- Add sweetness and chewy texture through the pudding.
The step that matters
Bake until firm; if the oven is too hot, put water in a tin around it.. Egg proteins set gently at moderate heat. Too much heat can overcook and curdle the eggs, so a water bath around the tin moderates the temperature and keeps the pudding smooth.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, egg, lemon, nutmeg):
- Orangefits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, egg, lemon, nutmeg. 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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