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Dessert

Dates with Custard

A dessert of stewed dates served with custard and macaroons.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,287 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓

Dates with Custard

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the dates

  1. Wash and dry the dates, then remove their stones.

  2. Place the dates in a stewpan with sugar, lemon rind and juice, cinnamon, and enough light claret to cover them.

  3. Bring to a near boil, then simmer gently, turning the fruit occasionally until soft and most liquid is absorbed.

  4. Let the dates cool in the pan.

Assemble and set

  1. Set a china dish over ice or in a cold place and arrange the dates on it.

  2. Layer macaroons that have been soaked in liqueur over the dates.

  3. Dissolve gelatine in the custard and pour it gently over the dates and macaroons.

  4. Optionally, top with whipped cream.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Cinnamon + vanillatop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,287 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).

  2. Dates + cinnamontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together283 recipes

    Shared aroma: anethole (sweet, anise).

  3. Lemon + cinnamontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together7,950 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Dates + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together218 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

  5. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Dates
Provide the main body and sweetness, softening into a tender fruit base when simmered.
Gelatine
Sets the custard so it holds its shape when chilled over the dates and macaroons.
Custard
Forms the rich, smooth top layer that softens the sweetness of the fruit.
Macaroons
Soak up the liqueur and add a soft, almond-like layer between the fruit and custard.
Claret
Simmers with the dates, adding moisture and wine flavour as the liquid reduces.

The step that matters

Simmering the dates. Simmer gently rather than boiling hard, and turn the fruit occasionally. Vigorous boiling can break the dates apart, while gentle heat lets them soften evenly and absorb the liquid.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (dates, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, cream):

  1. Figfits better
  2. Coconutfits better
  3. Pearfits better
  4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against dates, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, cream. 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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