Why it works: Spinach and saffron match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 149 recipes. Both carry nonanal, which smells fat, citrus. The science ↓
Blamange Rub an E, Or, Striped Blamange
Ingredients
Directions
Make 1 quart of blamange a little firmer than usual.
Divide the blamange into three or four equal portions.
Add spinach juice to one portion for green color.
Add liquid cochineal or carmine to another portion.
For a third portion, mix in saffron infusion or egg yolks with a little milk.
Boil chocolate in a small amount of water for color.
Use isinglass or calf's-foot jelly for stripes if desired.
Pour the different blamange colors into the mold in half-inch layers, allowing each layer to cool before adding the next.
Rub the insides of the molds with salad oil instead of using water.
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.
-
Spinach + saffrontop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together149 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
-
Milk + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,128 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Saffron + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together319 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Spinach + eggtop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,323 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the saffron
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (spinach, egg, milk, chocolate):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Saffronthe original
- Peppermintfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against spinach, egg, milk, chocolate. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
You might also like
The 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.
Chocolate Cream171 recipes
Chocolate Cookies76 recipes
Chocolate Fudge55 recipes
Chocolate Drop Cookies50 recipes