Why it works: Sugar and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Prune Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the pudding
Combine the chopped prunes and sugar in a bowl.
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until the mixture is light.
Bake and serve
Pour the mixture into a baking dish and bake at 350°F (175°C) until set.
Serve cold with cream or custard sauce.
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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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 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
- Prunes
- Provide the main body, moisture and sweet fruit flavour of the pudding.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and helps soften the prunes' tartness.
- Egg whites
- Whipped into foam, they lighten the mixture and help it set into a soft structure when baked.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Beaten whites trap air that gives the pudding its lightness. Folding gently keeps those bubbles intact, while vigorous stirring would deflate the foam and leave a dense result.
“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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