Why it works: Rice and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 28% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,350 recipes. Both carry (e,e)-2,4-decadienal, which smells fatty, deep fried. The science ↓
Casserol, or Rice Edging, for a Currie, or Fricassee
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
Soak and pick fine Carolina rice.
Boil the rice in water with a little salt until tender, but not mushy.
Shape and bake
Drain the rice and place it around the inner edge of the dish to a height of two inches.
Smooth the rice with the back of a spoon.
Brush the rice with the egg yolk and bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 3-4 minutes.
Serve the meat in the center.
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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Rice + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,350 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Carolina rice
- Forms the edge structure, holding its shape once cooked and drained.
- Egg yolk
- Brushed on top, it enriches the surface and promotes light browning in the oven.
The step that matters
Boil the rice until tender but not mushy. Rice cooked too long releases excess starch and turns soft and sticky, so it will not hold a clean edge. Cooking it just tender keeps the grains separate and firm enough to shape and bake.
“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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