Why it works: Almond and orange are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,125 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Almond Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the almonds
Soak the almonds in hot water until the skins slip off.
Pound the almonds with orange flower water or rose water to prevent oiling.
Make the pudding
Mix in the finely pounded crackers or rice flour, eggs, cream, sugar, butter, and wine.
Bake
Prepare a paste for the bottom of your dish.
Garnish the edges of the dish with the paste.
Pour the pudding mixture into the dish.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until set.
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.
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.
-
Almond + orangetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,125 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Almond + ricetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,456 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sweet almonds
- Form the main body of the pudding, giving it bulk and a rich nutty flavor.
- Eggs
- Set when baked, giving the pudding its structure and firm texture.
- Cream
- Adds richness and moisture, producing a softer, tender custard-like texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, tender mouthfeel.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps keep the pudding moist and tender.
- Crackers or rice flour
- Adds starch that helps bind the mixture and firm up its texture.
The step that matters
Pound the almonds with orange flower water or rose water. Adding the flavored water while pounding keeps the almond fats from separating into oil, so the mixture stays smooth and evenly textured.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (almond, rice, egg, cream, sugar, butter, wine):
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Figfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against almond, rice, egg, cream, sugar, butter, wine. 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.
More almond pudding recipes
You might also like
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Orange Cream Rice Pudding121 recipes
Rice Cake120 recipes
Orange Gelatin100 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.