Why it works: Nutmeg and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Potato Pudding
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. 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
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make the filling
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in the mashed potatoes, cream, grated nutmeg, cinnamon, and brandy until well combined.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a prepared rich puff pastry shell.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until set and 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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Nutmeg + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Potato + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,052 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Eggs
- Bind the filling and set into a firm, custard-like structure as they bake.
- Butter
- Adds richness and tenderness, and creaming it with sugar traps air for a lighter texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps the butter cream into a light, fluffy base.
- Potatoes
- Provide body and moisture, giving the pudding a soft, dense texture when finely mashed.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, keeping the filling smooth and tender.
The step that matters
Creaming the sugar and butter. Beating until light and fluffy incorporates air that helps lift and lighten the filling. Under-creaming leaves a denser pudding, while the eggs added afterward need to be mixed in well so the batter stays smooth rather than curdled.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, egg, cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, brandy):
- Sweet potatofits better
- Arrowrootfits better
- Shallotfits about as well
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, egg, cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, brandy. 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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