Why it works: Orange and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,746 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Orange 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
Rub the rind of a large orange on the sugar until the yellow part is removed.
Combine the sugar with the juice of the oranges in a bowl.
Pour the boiling milk over the crumbled ratafias or spongecake in another bowl.
Add a pinch of salt and the grated nutmeg to the milk mixture.
Mix the contents of both bowls thoroughly and stir in the beaten eggs.
Bake and serve
Line a pie dish with puff pastry, pour in the mixture, and sprinkle powdered ratafias on top.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes.
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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Orange + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,746 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Milk + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,685 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Orange + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,696 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Nutmeg + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together24,744 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Nutmeg and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 24,744 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
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and set into a custard-like texture when baked.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps balance the sharpness of the orange juice.
- Orange juice
- Provides acidity and citrus flavour that cuts through the sweetness.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and richness, and softens the crumbs into the custard.
- Ratafias or spongecake
- Soaked in hot milk, they soften and add body and a light crumb to the pudding.
The step that matters
Stirring in the beaten eggs. Eggs must be mixed in evenly so they set the custard uniformly when baked. Unevenly mixed eggs can leave pockets of scrambled or runny custard.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, milk, nutmeg, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, milk, nutmeg, 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.
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