Why it works: Nutmeg and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,623 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Quaking Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Beat the cream, eggs, and egg whites together until well mixed.
Grate in the nutmeg and add rose water if desired.
Incorporate the grated bread crust or the flour mixed with cream or rice flour.
Boil the pudding
Prepare a cloth by dusting it with flour and place the mixture inside.
Tie the cloth loosely and boil for 30 minutes, ensuring the water is boiling before adding the pudding.
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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Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cream + nutmegtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Egg + breadtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Nutmeg + breadtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,997 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Nutmeg + rosetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,067 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
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 it into a firm, sliceable pudding when cooked.
- Egg whites
- Add lightness and help the pudding hold its shape while boiling.
- Cream
- Adds richness and moisture, giving the pudding a soft, tender texture.
- Bread crust
- Soaks up liquid and gives body to the mixture, helping it hold together.
The step that matters
Boil only once the water is already boiling. Adding the pudding to water that is already boiling sets the outside quickly, so the pudding keeps its shape and cooks evenly. Tying the cloth loosely leaves room for the pudding to expand as it cooks.
“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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