Why it works: Sherry and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,246 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓
Arrow-root
Ingredients
Directions
Mix the arrow-root with cold water to form a soft paste.
Rub until smooth, then add boiling water while stirring briskly.
Boil for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat.
Add sherry or wine, nutmeg or lemon peel, and sugar to taste.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Sherry + nutmegtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,246 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Nutmeg + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together23,364 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Sherry + sugartop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,141 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Nutmeg and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 23,364 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Arrow-root
- Thickens the liquid as its starch swells and sets when heated, giving a smooth, glossy pudding.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to balance the mild, neutral flavour of the starch.
The step that matters
Stir the boiling water into the paste briskly. Adding boiling water while stirring disperses the starch evenly so it does not form lumps. Starch thickens as it heats, so the pudding should be boiled only briefly; prolonged boiling can break down the starch and thin the set.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sherry, sugar):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Gingerfits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
- Clovefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sherry, 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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