Why it works: Parmesan cheese and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,163 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Potato Mould
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 base
Boil the potatoes until tender, then pass them through a fine sieve into a large bowl.
While still hot, mix in the egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, and pepper.
Melt the butter and stir it into the potato mixture.
Finish and bake
Whisk the egg whites until frothy and fold them into the mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a buttered pudding mold, filling it not quite to the top.
Cover the mold with a sheet of paper and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes.
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.
-
Parmesan cheese + buttertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,163 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Parmesan cheese + peppertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,322 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Potato + parmesan cheesetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together572 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Floury potatoes
- Their starch gives the pudding a light, soft, tender body once cooked.
- Egg yolks
- They enrich the mixture and help it set into a creamy, custard-like texture.
- Egg whites
- Whisked to foam, they trap air that lifts the pudding and gives it a lighter crumb.
- Parmesan cheese
- Adds savory, salty flavor and some richness to the potato base.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, silky mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Fold in the egg whites gently. Whisked whites hold air that makes the pudding rise and stay light. Stirring them in vigorously knocks out that air, leaving a denser pudding.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, parmesan cheese, pepper, butter):
- Asparagusfits better
- Spinachfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, parmesan cheese, pepper, butter. 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.
More potato pudding recipes
You might also like
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Macaroni and Cheese102 recipes
Potato Rolls78 recipes
Potato Chips53 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.