Why it works: Cinnamon and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,514 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Custard Puddins
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
Beat the yolks of 9 eggs in a bowl.
Boil 1½ pints of cream with 6 ounces of sugar and 1-2 sticks of cinnamon.
Mix the hot cream into the beaten eggs with 1 teaspoon of salt.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve.
In a mortar, grind 2 ounces of blanched almonds and 6 bitter almonds with a little cream, then add to the egg mixture.
Bake
Butter a baking dish and pour the mixture into it.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 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.
-
Cinnamon + almondtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,514 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Set the custard into a tender, creamy structure as they cook.
- Cream
- Adds richness and moisture, giving the custard a smooth, soft texture.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the custard and helps keep it tender as it sets.
- Blanched almonds
- Add body and nutty flavour to the custard base.
The step that matters
Adding the hot cream to the eggs. Pouring hot cream in too quickly can scramble the yolks into lumps. Add it gradually while whisking so the eggs warm gently and the custard stays smooth.
Swap the cinnamon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, cream, sugar, almond, butter):
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Cinnamonthe original
- Capersfits less well
- Tarragonfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, cream, sugar, almond, 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 custard pudding recipes
You might also like
Cinnamon Rolls71 recipes
Cinnamon Cake42 recipes
Almond Sponge Cake26 recipes
Almond Custard22 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.