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Dessert

Jerusalem Pudding

A gelatin‑set rice pudding with figs, dates, and whipped cream.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Vanilla and fig match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 324 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Jerusalem Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

Make the pudding base

  1. Combine rice flakes and milk in a double boiler and cook for 5 minutes.

  2. Soak gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes.

  3. Add the soaked gelatin to the hot rice mixture.

  4. Stir in sugar and vanilla.

  5. Remove from heat.

Finish and set

  1. Add chopped figs and dates.

  2. Let the mixture cool until it begins to harden.

  3. Fold in whipped cream.

  4. Mold the pudding.

  5. Serve with additional 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. Vanilla + figtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together324 recipes

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

  2. Fig + datestop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together318 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).

  3. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  4. Rice + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,374 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Vanilla + datestop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together218 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

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

What each ingredient does

Rice flakes
Swell in hot milk to give the pudding its body and soft, creamy texture.
Gelatine
Sets the pudding so it holds its molded shape when chilled.
Whipped cream
Adds richness and a light, airy texture when folded into the set base.
Sugar
Adds sweetness and balances the dairy and dried fruit.
Dates
Add concentrated sweetness, chewy texture and fruity flavour.
Figs
Add chewy texture and fruity flavour, with some sweetness.

The step that matters

Let the mixture cool until it begins to harden. Gelatine sets as it cools. If the base is still liquid when the cream is folded in, the cream will deflate and the pudding may not hold its shape when molded. Wait until it thickens slightly, then fold gently.

Swap the dates

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, milk, sugar, vanilla, fig, cream):

  1. Coconutfits better
  2. Peachfits better
  3. Apricotfits better
  4. Datesthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rice, milk, sugar, vanilla, fig, 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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