Why it works: Nutmeg and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 13,015 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Cheese Omelet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Toast 4 slices of Allinson bread (or rusks).
Beat 3 eggs and mix with 1 pint of milk.
Crush the toast or rusks with your hands and soak them in the egg-milk mixture.
Add 1/4 lb grated cheese, 1 saltspoonful nutmeg, pepper, and salt to taste.
Dissolve half of the 2 oz butter and mix with the other ingredients.
Bake and serve
Butter a pie dish, pour in the mixture, cut the remaining butter into small pieces, scatter over the top.
Bake for 1 hour or longer until well set.
Serve hot or cold.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Nutmeg + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Bread + milktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,466 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
-
Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Bread + nutmegtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,997 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Nutmeg + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,685 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set the custard-like mixture and bind the bread and cheese together.
- Milk
- Adds moisture so the soaked bread stays tender while the eggs set.
- Bread
- Soaks up the egg and milk mixture, giving the dish body and a soft texture.
- Cheese (in the method)
- Adds richness and flavour, and melts into the set custard.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat for richness and helps the top brown as it bakes.
The step that matters
Bake until well set. Eggs set as their proteins coagulate with heat. Underbaking leaves the centre runny, while the record's long bake lets the custard firm fully.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, milk, egg, pepper):
- Nutmegthe original
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Cinnamonfits less well
- Marjoramfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against bread, milk, egg, pepper. 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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