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 sweet and bitter almonds finely with rose-water and white wine.
Mix in melted butter, egg yolks, egg whites, cream, sugar, grated nutmeg, flour, and bread crumbs, and combine all ingredients well.
Boil for half an hour 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 of the pudding.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and help the pudding set when cooked.
- Egg whites
- Add lightness and help give the pudding structure as it sets.
- Fresh butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, moist texture.
- Cream
- Adds richness and moisture for a silky texture.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb liquid and give the pudding body.
The step that matters
Boil or bake until set. Cooking the egg-based mixture gently until just set makes it firm; overcooking causes the eggs to tighten and curdle, leaving a grainy, weeping texture.
“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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