Why it works: Gelatin and cream match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,628 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Prune Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the prune base
Cook the prunes until soft and remove the pits.
Dissolve the sugar in the prunes.
Soak the gelatin in the water, then add it to the mixture.
Set and serve
Once cold, fold in the beaten egg whites.
Pour into a mold and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
Serve with whipped cream flavored with vanilla.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Gelatin + creamtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,628 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Sugar + gelatintop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,778 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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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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Cream + vanillatop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,301 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Prunes
- Provide the main body, flavor and sweetness of the pudding.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the prune mixture and balances its tartness.
- Gelatin
- Sets the mixture so the pudding holds its shape when chilled.
- Egg whites
- Add airy lightness to the pudding when beaten and folded in.
The step that matters
Fold in the egg whites only once the mixture is cold. Hot mixture deflates beaten egg whites and melts their foam. Once cooled and starting to thicken, the mixture can hold the air, keeping the pudding light.
“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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