Why it works: Nutmeg and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,318 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Swbbt Potato Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the batter
Parboil the potatoes, then grate them.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until well combined.
Stir in the butter until smooth, then add the grated potatoes.
Mix in the wine or brandy, grated nutmeg, and grated lemon.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the potato mixture.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a baking dish and bake at 350°F (175°C) until set.
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 + lemontop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Potato + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,052 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + lemontop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,230 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Wine + lemontop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,157 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Provide the bulk and starchy body that gives the pudding its dense, moist texture.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the batter and help bind it as it sets, adding richness and structure.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they add lightness and air that keep the pudding from being heavy.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, tender crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and helps tenderise the egg yolk mixture.
- Wine or brandy
- Adds aromatic depth and a warm, complex flavour to the pudding.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Stiff whites hold air that gives lift. Folding gently keeps that air in the batter; vigorous stirring deflates the foam, leaving a denser, flatter pudding.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, butter, wine, nutmeg, lemon):
- Shallotfits better
- Arrowrootfits better
- Sweet potatofits better
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, butter, wine, nutmeg, lemon. 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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