Name: Barberry-and-rice Pudding
Ingredients: 10 ounces barberries, stripped from the stalks; 4 ounces whole boiled rice; 8 ounces sugar; 1 small slice of butter; 5 large eggs or 6 small eggs; 1 quart milk (optional)

Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

Barberry-and-rice Pudding

Ingredients

10 ounces barberries, stripped from the stalks
4 ounces whole boiled rice
8 ounces sugar
1 small slice of butter
5 large eggs or 6 small eggs
1 quart milk (optional)

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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.

Prepare

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Mix and bake

In a bowl, mix the barberries, boiled rice, sugar, butter, and eggs.
If using, add milk to the mixture.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until set.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Rice + milktop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,374 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Rice + buttertop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,645 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together98,233 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Set the custard as they cook, binding the pudding into a firm, sliceable texture.
Sugar: Sweetens the pudding and balances the tartness of the barberries.
Boiled rice: Provides body and bulk, giving the pudding a soft, tender crumb.
Barberries: Add tart fruit flavour and a bright acidity that cuts the sweetness.
Butter: Adds richness and fat, contributing moisture and a smooth mouthfeel.

The step that matters

Bake until set. Egg proteins coagulate as the mixture heats, so the pudding firms up. Removing it too early leaves a loose, runny centre, while overbaking can make the eggs grainy and dry.

“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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Barberry-and-rice Pudding