Why it works: Almond and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,514 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Blanc-Mange
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Place 4 quarts of skimmed milk in a shallow pan with 12 ounces of sugar.
Simmer the milk until it reduces to 2 quarts.
Mix 6 ounces of corn starch with an extra cup of milk, then stir the corn starch mixture into the simmering milk.
Cook for a few minutes until thickened, then remove from heat.
Stir in 1 ounce of butter and the chosen flavoring.
Mould and serve
Pour the mixture into custard cups that have been previously wetted with water.
Allow the custard to cool.
Remove the cooled custard from the cups.
Serve with sweetened cream, fruit, or fruit jelly.
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.
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Almond + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,514 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,287 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
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Vanilla + almondtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,961 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Lemon + cinnamontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Skimmed milk
- Forms the liquid base that reduces and sets into a creamy custard.
- Corn starch
- Thickens the milk as it heats, setting the custard into a firm, sliceable body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and helps soften its set texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smoother mouthfeel and richer flavour.
The step that matters
Thickening the corn starch mixture. Starch must be fully dispersed in cold milk before it meets the hot liquid, or it forms lumps. The mixture then needs a few minutes of cooking so the starch granules swell and gelatinise, which is what makes the custard set properly when cooled.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, sugar, corn, butter, vanilla, almond, cinnamon):
- Figfits better
- Coconutfits better
- Peachfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, sugar, corn, butter, vanilla, almond, cinnamon. 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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