Why it works: Almond and pine match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 176 recipes. Both carry 2,3-pentanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
German Custard
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Add the pounded almonds and pine nuts to the boiled custard.
Stir in the candied citron slices.
Chill and serve
Chill the custard in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.
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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Almond + pinetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together176 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sweet almonds
- Add a rich, nutty flavor and a slightly firm, grainy texture to the custard.
- Pine nuts
- Contribute a mild, buttery nuttiness and fine texture to the custard.
- Boiled custard
- Forms the creamy, smooth base that holds the other ingredients.
- Candied citron
- Adds bright, sweet citrus aroma and chewy bits of flavor.
The step that matters
Chilling the custard. The custard must set fully in the refrigerator for several hours. Cooling lets the egg and milk proteins firm up and thickens the texture, so the custard holds its shape and the flavors settle before serving.
“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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