Why it works: Butter and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,232 recipes. Both carry delta-decalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Rice, Border of
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Cook the rice
Wash and drain the rice.
Simmer the rice with butter, water, and salt until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Pound the rice in a mortar to make a smooth paste.
Shape the border
Butter a mould.
Cover the bottom and sides of the mould with the rice paste, leaving a thick crust.
Place a piece of bread in the center of the mould.
Cover the bread with rice, pressing and smoothing it down.
Let the rice cool until set.
Dip the mould in cold water.
Turn the rice onto a dish.
Mark the lid about an inch from the edge.
Bake and serve
Brush the rice with clarified butter.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) until browned.
Remove the cover.
Take out the bread.
Fill with your desired preparation.
Replace the cover.
Glaze the rice.
Bake for a couple of minutes before serving hot.
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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Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Rice + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Rice + breadtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,259 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
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Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together42,912 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Onion + breadtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,676 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Forms the main body and, when pounded and set, the firm edible shell of the border.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture to the rice and helps it brown during baking.
- Bread
- Acts as a temporary centre support that is removed to leave a hollow for the filling.
The step that matters
Pound the rice into a smooth paste. Rice that is not pounded well stays grainy and will not hold together as a firm, smooth shell. Thorough pounding breaks down the cooked grains so the paste can be pressed, set and unmoulded cleanly.
Swap the onion
The recipe marks onion as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, butter, bread):
- Asparagusfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Potatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, butter, bread. 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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