Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Rice Souffle E
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a rather brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the base
Boil the ground rice in milk until it forms a thick gruel.
Add the pounded macaroons, sugar, vanilla, orange flower water, and rose water.
Mix in the egg yolks thoroughly.
Bake and serve
Beat the egg whites to a froth and gently fold them into the mixture.
Pour the mixture into a well-buttered large bread tin, filling it no more than halfway.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) until swollen and nicely browned.
Dust sugar over the top and serve immediately.
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.
-
Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Vanilla + orangetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,371 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Orange + rosetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together876 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
- Ground rice
- Cooked into a thick gruel, it gives the souffle its body and soft, tender crumb.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to a froth, they trap air that lifts and swells the souffle as it bakes.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the base with fat and emulsifiers, adding richness and helping set the custard-like texture.
- Milk
- Cooks with the ground rice to form the thick base and adds moisture and richness.
- Pounded macaroons
- Add almond flavour and sweetness while contributing to the base's texture and browning.
The step that matters
Fold the egg whites gently. Deflating the whipped whites by stirring too hard releases the trapped air, so the souffle will not rise well in the oven.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, milk, sugar, vanilla, rose, egg):
- Coconutfits better
- Figfits better
- Peachfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, milk, sugar, vanilla, rose, egg. 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.
You might also like
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Orange Cream Rice Pudding121 recipes
Rice Cake120 recipes
Vanilla Ice Cream108 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.