Why it works: Raisin and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,377 recipes. Both carry alpha-terpineol, which smells lilac, floral. The science ↓
Baked Rice Pudding, with Eggs
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 the rice
Soak the rice in a portion of the milk for 1 hour.
Combine the soaked rice and milk in a pot and heat to boiling.
Boil for 5 minutes, then remove and let cool.
Make the custard
Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth.
Beat the yolks separately.
Incorporate the sugar with the beaten yolks and flavor with nutmeg.
Stir in the beaten yolks, sugar, melted butter, nutmeg, and the remaining milk into the cooled rice mixture.
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites and the dredged raisins.
Pour the mixture into a well-greased baking dish.
Bake and serve
Bake at 350°F (175°C) until rich brown, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Serve hot or cold; if cold, enjoy with cream and sugar, and if hot, serve with sauce.
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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Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Rice + nutmegtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,779 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Rice + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together565 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Forms the body of the pudding, soaked and cooked so it sets soft and creamy.
- Eggs
- Egg yolks and whites set the custard and give the pudding its lift and richness.
- Sweet milk
- Provides the liquid that the rice absorbs and that the custard sets in.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and helps the surface brown in the oven.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a richer, smoother texture.
- Raisins
- Add pockets of chewy sweetness throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Beaten whites trap air that gives lift; stirring them vigorously knocks the air out, so fold gently and keep the mixture airy before it goes into the dish.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, butter, milk, egg, sugar, nutmeg):
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Figfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, butter, milk, egg, sugar, nutmeg. 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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