Name: Orange Pudding
Ingredients: grated rind of 2 oranges; juice and soft pulp of 3 oranges; ½ pint sugar (1 cup); ½ pint milk (1 cup); 2 Boston crackers, rolled and sifted (or 4½ tablespoons of rolled and sifted cracker); 1 ounce butter (2 tablespoons); 2 beaten eggs

Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

Orange Pudding

Ingredients

grated rind of 2 oranges
juice and soft pulp of 3 oranges
½ pint sugar (1 cup)
½ pint milk (1 cup)
2 Boston crackers, rolled and sifted (or 4½ tablespoons of rolled and sifted cracker)
1 ounce butter (2 tablespoons)
2 beaten eggs

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Make the filling

Cream the butter in a bowl.
Stir in the grated orange rind, juice, and sugar.
Add the beaten eggs and rolled crackers, mixing well.
Pour in the milk and mix until combined.

Bake

Bake in a pudding dish lined with pastry at 400°F (200°C) until set.

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.

Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Orange + milktop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,696 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together98,233 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together88,785 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Set the filling into a soft custard as they cook.
Butter: Adds richness and a smooth, tender texture to the filling.
Boston crackers: Thicken the filling and give it body as they absorb liquid.
Milk: Adds moisture and softness, helping the filling bake into a creamy pudding.
Sugar: Sweetens the filling and balances the sharpness of the orange.
Oranges: Provide the main flavour, acidity, and aroma, along with moisture from the juice and pulp.