Why it works: Nutmeg and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Sweet Potato Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Boil and peel the sweet potatoes, then mash and rub through a sieve until light and fluffy.
In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
Add the grated nutmeg, cinnamon, and brandy to the butter mixture.
Beat the eggs until smooth, then stir them into the mixture alternately with the mashed sweet potatoes. Mix everything thoroughly by stirring well.
Bake and serve
Prepare a deep baking dish by lining the edges with puff pastry.
Pour the sweet potato mixture into the prepared dish.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) until set.
Once cool, sift powdered sugar over the top before serving.
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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Nutmeg + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Sweet potato + cinnamontop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together539 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sweet potato + nutmegtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together414 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Cinnamon + brandytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,199 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Sugar and cinnamon 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
- Sweet potatoes
- Provide the bulk of the filling and a soft, moist, lightly sweet body.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a tender, smooth texture to the filling.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps the creamed butter become light.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and help it set into a firm custard-like texture when baked.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavour while contributing a little moisture to the filling.
The step that matters
Baking until set. Eggs set as their proteins coagulate with heat. Underbaking leaves a runny centre, while overbaking can make the filling dry and cracked.
“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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