Why it works: Pistachio and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 693 recipes. Both carry alpha-pinene, which smells pine, turpentine. The science ↓
Ice Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Whisk the eggs, milk, and sugar together to make a custard.
Allow the custard to cool.
Freeze the custard until it reaches a butter‑like consistency.
Prepare the mixture
Cut the fruit into small pieces.
Blanch the almonds and pistachios.
Whip the cream.
Mix the brandy into the whipped cream.
While freezing, decorate the top of an ice mold with some of the fruit.
Combine the whipped cream and fruit with the custard, mixing well.
Freeze and serve
Fill the mold, pressing the mixture in firmly, and place the lid on.
Seal the join with lard to prevent ice and salt from entering.
Bury the mold in ice and salt for at least two hours, covering it with sawdust or a clean sack.
When ready to serve, wipe the mold with a warm dishcloth, turn it out, and serve immediately.
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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Pistachio + almondtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together693 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Pistachio + nutstop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together425 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Apricot + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together852 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Nuts + almondtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together394 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Pistachio + apricottop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together188 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set the custard base and give it body as it freezes.
- Thick cream
- Adds richness and a light, smooth texture when whipped.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, adding creaminess and softness.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and softens its texture when frozen.
- Brandy or champagne
- Adds aroma and flavour, and lowers the freezing point so the pudding stays softer.
The step that matters
Seal the join with lard. A tight seal keeps ice and salt out of the mold, since salt water seeping in would spoil the flavour and make the pudding watery. Pressing the mixture in firmly also removes air pockets that could cause uneven freezing.
Swap the apricot
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pistachio, nuts, sugar, milk, cream, almond):
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Figfits better
- Apricotthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pistachio, nuts, sugar, milk, cream, almond. 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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