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.
Cook the rice
Wash and clean the rice in cold water.
Combine the rice with cold water, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then drain the water.
Add 1 quart of milk, lemon peel, and cinnamon.
Simmer gently for at least 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until the rice is tender.
Remove from heat.
Make and bake the pudding
Stir in the butter, beaten eggs, nutmeg, and sugar until smooth.
Line a pie dish with puff paste.
Notch the edges of the pie dish.
Pour the pudding mixture into the lined pie dish.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45 minutes until firm.
Serve
Serve with white wine sauce.
Serve with 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
- Starch that softens during simmering and thickens the milk into a pudding body.
- Milk
- Liquid that cooks the rice and, with the eggs, forms the creamy custard base.
- Eggs
- Set when baked, giving the pudding its firm, custard-like structure.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a richer mouthfeel and smoother texture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps browning during baking.
The step that matters
Simmer gently and stir. Gentle heat with regular stirring keeps the milk from scorching on the bottom of the pan and lets the rice cook evenly until tender, which gives the pudding a smooth base.
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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