Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Almond Pudding
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
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Blend the blanched almonds until finely ground.
Make the batter
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined.
Stir in the ground almonds, cream, and rose water until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish.
Bake
Bake in the preheated oven until set.
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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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Almond + rosetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,465 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Almond + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,130 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
-
Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set the custard as they cook, giving the pudding structure and a firm, sliceable body.
- Blanched almonds
- Provide the bulk and nutty flavour, and their oils add richness and a tender texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and helps the eggs whisk smoothly into the batter.
- Cream
- Adds fat and moisture, making the pudding rich and soft rather than dry.
- Rose water
- Adds a delicate floral aroma to the pudding.
The step that matters
Bake until set. Eggs continue to firm as the pudding cools, so underbaking leaves it runny, while overbaking makes the eggs curdle and turn grainy and watery.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, cream, rose):
- Almondthe original
- Pistachiofits about as well
- Walnutfits less well
- Chestnutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, cream, rose. 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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