Why it works: Milk and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,655 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
Blancmange
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
Dissolve the isinglass in a small amount of water without burning it until transparent.
Stir the dissolved isinglass into the quart of milk.
Season with rose-water and cinnamon, then sweeten to taste.
Put the mixture into a porcelain kettle and bring it to a boil.
Mould and set
Strain through a flannel jelly-bag into moulds.
If coloring is desired, beat the yolks of two eggs and stir into one pint of milk before adding to the mixture.
Before pouring in the blancmange, dampen the moulds with cold water.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
-
Cinnamon + sugartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Rose + cinnamontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together892 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Cinnamon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Isinglass
- Fish-derived gelling protein that sets the milk into a firm, wobbly dessert.
- Milk
- Forms the creamy base that the isinglass sets into a smooth dessert.
- Eggs
- Egg yolks add richness and a yellow tint when used for optional coloring.
The step that matters
Dissolving the isinglass without burning it. Isinglass must dissolve fully in a little water to set properly. Scorching it can give a burnt flavor and weaken its gelling power, so the dessert may not firm up evenly.
“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.
More blancmange recipes
You might also like
Cinnamon Rolls71 recipes
Cinnamon Cake42 recipes
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 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.