Skip to main content
Dessert

Timbales of Semolina

A semolina custard dessert with apricot halves, topped with almonds, angelica, and cherries.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 11 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Apricot and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 608 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓

Timbales of Semolina

Ingredients

Directions

Make the base

  1. Simmer the vanilla pod in the water until flavored, then remove it.

  2. Sprinkle in the semolina and boil for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

  3. Let it cool slightly, then add the sugar and beat in 6 yolks and 2 egg whites separately.

  4. Continue beating until the mixture is nearly cold, then add the cream and stiffly whisked whites of 4 eggs.

Steam and prepare the fruit

  1. Pour the mixture into well-buttered timbale or dariole molds and steam for 30 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, heat apricot halves on two plates.

  3. Boil the apricot syrup until reduced and flavor with a little Maraschino, if desired.

Serve

  1. Turn out the timbales onto a hot dish.

  2. Place an apricot on top of each timbale.

  3. Decorate with shredded almonds, angelica, and cherries.

  4. Strain the syrup over the timbales.

  5. Serve.

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. Apricot + vanillatop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together608 recipes

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

  2. Almond + vanillatop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,961 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Apricot + almondtop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together852 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Angelica + almondtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together135 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

  5. Angelica + vanillatop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together170 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

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

What each ingredient does

Semolina
Thickens the boiled liquid so it sets into a firm, sliceable timbale when cooled and steamed.
Eggs
Bind the mixture and set on steaming, while whipped whites add lightness and airy texture.
Sugar
Sweetens the custard base and balances the tartness of the apricots.
Cream
Adds richness and fat, giving a softer, moister texture to the set timbale.
Apricots
Provide fruity flavor and a sweet-tart contrast to the mild, creamy timbale.

The step that matters

Beating in the whites and steaming gently. Whites whipped stiffly and folded in while the base is nearly cold keep the timbale light, while the base must not be cooked too hard or the eggs can turn grainy and the texture becomes rubbery.

Swap the angelica

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apricot, semolina, sugar, egg, almond, cream, vanilla):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Nutmegfits better
  3. Angelicathe original
  4. Turmericfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against apricot, semolina, sugar, egg, almond, cream, vanilla. 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

Vanilla Ice CreamVanilla Ice Cream108 recipesAlmond Sponge CakeAlmond Sponge Cake26 recipesApricot Ice CreamApricot Ice Cream26 recipesAlmond CustardAlmond Custard22 recipes