Why it works: Rice and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,456 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Timballe of Rice
Ingredients
Directions
Wash and scald the rice for 5 minutes, then strain and place it in a stewpan.
Add the boiling cream, finely pounded Jordan and bitter almonds, and strain through a coarse cloth into the rice.
Stir in the sifted sugar and fresh butter, then set over a fire and simmer until tender.
Finally, add the ratafia.
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 + almondtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,456 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Rice + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,645 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Carolina rice
- Forms the starchy body of the timbale as it simmers and softens.
- Boiling cream
- Adds richness and moisture, helping the rice cook soft and creamy.
- Jordan almonds
- Contribute body and a nutty flavour when pounded and strained into the dish.
- Sifted sugar
- Sweetens the dish and helps give it a smooth, tender texture.
- Fresh butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Simmering until tender. Rice continues to absorb liquid and thicken as it simmers, so it can scorch on the bottom or turn stiff if the heat is too high or the cooking is stopped too early. Stir gently and check for tenderness.
“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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