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Honeycomb Timbales

A baked macaroni timbale filled with cheese mixture and topped with cheese sauce.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 15 ingredients
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Why it works: Cheese and swiss cheese share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 65 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Honeycomb Timbales

Oven, in the book's wordsA moderate oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.

Prepare the timbales

  1. Line timbale molds with cold cooked macaroni pieces.

  2. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.

  3. Gradually add the milk, stirring until smooth.

  4. Remove from heat and mix in the egg yolks, mild cheese, and Swiss cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

  5. Fill the molds with the mixture and bake at 350°F (175°C) until set.

Make the cheese sauce and serve

  1. For the cheese sauce, scald the milk in a saucepan. In a bowl, beat the eggs and add to the scalded milk.

  2. Stir in the butter, salt, and grated cheese. Cook over low heat until the sauce thickens.

  3. Serve the timbales with the cheese sauce.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Cheese + swiss cheesetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together65 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  3. Butter + swiss cheesetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together413 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

  4. Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,962 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  5. Milk + cheesetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,426 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cooked macaroni
Forms the edible shell that holds the custard in shape while it bakes.
Butter
Enriches the base and carries flavor as the roux's fat component.
Flour
Thickens the milk into a smooth base as it cooks with the butter.
Eggs
Set on baking to give the timbale a firm, custard-like structure.
Milk
Provides the liquid that turns the roux into a creamy custard and sauce.
Cheese
Adds savory richness and flavor while helping the custard hold together.

The step that matters

Cook the cheese sauce over low heat until it thickens. Egg proteins in the sauce can scramble if overheated, so gentle low heat lets the sauce thicken smoothly without curdling.

“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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