Why it works: Rice and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,645 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Maids of Honoure
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Mix the ground rice, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl.
In another bowl, cream the butter and egg together.
Combine the butter mixture with the dry ingredients and mix well.
Line patty pans with puff paste.
Fill and bake
Add a little jam to each patty pan, then spoon in the rice mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden.
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 + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,645 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Rice + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,744 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ground rice
- Forms the bulk of the filling and gives it a slightly crumbly, tender texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, contributing moisture and a tender crumb to the filling.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture together and helps it set as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking, helping the filling rise and lighten.
- Castor sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps it brown as it bakes.
- Puff paste
- Forms the crisp, flaky pastry case that holds the filling.
The step that matters
Combining the butter mixture with the dry ingredients. Mixing well ensures the fat and egg are evenly distributed through the ground rice, so the filling bakes with a uniform texture instead of greasy or dry pockets.
“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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