Why it works: Lemon and syrup are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,235 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Lemon Mould
Ingredients
Directions
Combine 1 oz. tapioca, 1/2 pint water, juice and rind of 1/4 lemon, and 1 large tablespoonful golden syrup.
Boil the mixture until the tapioca is quite tender, with the lemon rind in the water.
Remove the lemon rind.
Add the syrup and lemon juice, mix well.
Pour the mixture into a wetted mould.
Turn out the mould when cold.
Serve.
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 + syruptop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,235 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tapioca (in the method)
- Thickens the water as it cooks and gelatinises, setting the mixture into a firm mould.
- Golden syrup
- Adds sweetness and a rich, caramel-like flavour to the mould.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the sweetness and gives the mould its fresh flavour.
The step that matters
Boil until the tapioca is quite tender. Tapioca starch only thickens fully and turns translucent once its granules have swollen and cooked through. If it is undercooked, the mould will not set properly and may taste grainy.
“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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