Why it works: Almond and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,115 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Almond Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Beat the almonds with rose water and white wine until fine.
Mix in melted butter, egg yolks, egg whites, cream, sugar, grated nutmeg, flour, and bread crumbs, and combine all ingredients well.
Boil for 30 minutes or bake 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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Almond + nutmegtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,115 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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White wine + buttertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,083 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sweet almonds
- Provide the main body and nutty flavour once beaten fine into the pudding.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the custard and help it set into a firm, tender texture.
- Egg whites
- Add lightness and help bind the pudding as it sets.
- Cream
- Adds richness and moisture, giving the pudding a soft, smooth texture.
- Fresh butter
- Adds fat for richness and a silky mouthfeel.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb liquid and give the pudding body as it sets.
The step that matters
Boil for 30 minutes or bake until set. Egg-based puddings set as proteins coagulate with heat. Too much heat or too long cooking can make them curdle or turn rubbery, so check that the pudding is just set and not overcooked.
“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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