Why it works: Semolina and almond share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 93 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Semolina Pudding, Baked
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the pudding base
Infuse the bitter almonds in the milk by warming it gently for about 30 minutes, then strain.
Mix the strained milk with semolina, sugar, and butter in a saucepan and stir over low heat for a few minutes.
Remove from heat and gradually mix in the well-beaten eggs.
Bake and serve
Butter a pie dish and line the edges with puff pastry.
Pour the pudding mixture into the dish and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 40 to 50 minutes.
Serve with custard sauce or stewed fruit.
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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Semolina + almondtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together93 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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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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Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Milk + almondtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Semolina + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together351 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Semolina
- Thickens the milk into a soft, set pudding as it cooks and cools.
- Eggs
- Set the pudding during baking and add richness and structure.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base that carries the semolina and absorbs the almond flavour.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smooth, rich texture and mouthfeel.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and adds to its soft, tender texture.
The step that matters
Adding the eggs off the heat. Eggs curdle if they meet very hot mixture, leaving lumps. Removing the pan from the heat and mixing gradually keeps the eggs smooth and lets them set gently in the oven.
“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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