Why it works: Currant and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,057 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Christmas Plum-pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit and dry ingredients
Stir and cut the raisins in halves without chopping them.
Wash, pick, and dry the currants.
Mince the suet finely.
Cut the candied peel into thin slices.
Grate the bread into fine crumbs.
Mix all dry ingredients well together.
Mix and steam the pudding
Moisten the mixture with the beaten eggs and brandy.
Stir well to thoroughly blend everything.
Press the pudding into a buttered mold and tie it down tightly with a floured cloth.
Boil for 5 to 6 hours.
Alternatively, boil in a cloth without a mold for the same time.
After boiling, hang the pudding up to drain, placing a plate underneath.
Serve
On the day of serving, plunge it into boiling water and keep boiling for at least 2 hours.
Turn it out of the mold and serve with brandy sauce.
For presentation, place a sprig of holly in the middle and pour brandy around it, lighting it before serving.
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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Currant + brandytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,057 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,180 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
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Raisin + brandytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,768 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Bread + brandytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together976 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and add structure as the pudding sets during boiling.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb the liquid and give the pudding a soft, cohesive body.
- Suet
- Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and rich in texture.
- Raisins
- Provide concentrated sweetness and chewy texture throughout the pudding.
- Brandy
- Moistens the mixture and adds aroma and flavour.
The step that matters
Tying the pudding tightly and boiling it steadily. A loose cloth or mold lets water seep in and the pudding becomes soggy, while the long steady boil cooks the eggs and crumbs through and sets the body of the pudding.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (currant, bread, egg, brandy):
- Red currantfits better
- Figfits about as well
- Raspberryfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against currant, bread, egg, 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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