Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Rice Puddings Baked, or Boiled
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 rice
Wash and clean the rice in cold water.
Combine the rice with cold water in a quart saucepan.
Bring to a boil for 5 minutes.
Drain the water.
Make the pudding base
Add 1 quart of milk, lemon peel, and cinnamon.
Simmer gently for at least 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Stir every 5 minutes until the rice is tender.
Remove from heat.
Stir in the butter, beaten eggs, nutmeg, and sugar until smooth.
Bake and boil
Line a pie dish with puff paste.
Pour in the mixture.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45 minutes.
Add 1 more egg and ½ pint more milk.
Boil for 1 hour.
Butter small teacups.
Bake or boil for 30 minutes.
Variations and serving
Add candied lemon or orange peel, dried cherries, currants, raisins, or finely minced apples for variation.
Serve baked or boiled puddings with white wine sauce or butter and sugar.
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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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Rice + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,137 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Lemon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Lemon + cinnamontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Its starch thickens the milk and gives the pudding its body as it cooks.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that gives the pudding its moisture and creamy texture.
- Eggs
- Set as they cook, binding the pudding into a firm, sliceable custard.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother, softer mouthfeel.
- Sugar
- Provides sweetness and helps the top brown lightly in the oven.
The step that matters
Simmer and stir the rice until tender. Milk sugars and proteins scorch easily on the base of a pan. Regular stirring keeps the rice from sticking while its starch thickens the milk evenly before the eggs are added.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, milk, cinnamon, butter, egg, nutmeg, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits about as well
- Raisinfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, milk, cinnamon, butter, egg, nutmeg, sugar. 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.
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