Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg 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 ↓
Baked Indian Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the cornmeal
In a bowl, stir the cornmeal and salt together.
Gradually pour the boiling water over the cornmeal, beating until smooth.
Make the custard
In a large double boiler, heat the milk and stir in the scalded cornmeal.
Boil the mixture for 1 hour.
Whip the eggs until light, then mix in the molasses, melted butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Slowly add the boiled cornmeal mixture to the egg mixture, beating continuously.
Bake and serve
Pour the mixture into a greased pudding dish and cover.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for nearly 1 hour, then uncover and brown.
Serve the pudding directly from the baking dish with hard sauce flavored with lemon juice.
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.
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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Molasses + cinnamontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,928 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Milk + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,685 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and set the pudding as it bakes, giving it a custard-like body.
- Yellow cornmeal
- Thickens the milk and gives the pudding its body and grainy texture.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that the cornmeal thickens and the eggs set.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and deep color, and browns the top during baking.
The step that matters
Beating the cornmeal into the eggs. Adding the hot cornmeal mixture too quickly or without constant beating can cook the eggs into lumps. Adding it slowly while beating gently tempers the eggs so the custard stays smooth.
“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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