Why it works: Nutmeg and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Guava Duff
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Cream the butter or margarine with the sugar.
Add the eggs, guava, and spices and beat until smooth.
Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the butter mixture.
Steam and serve
Place the mixture in the greased top of a double boiler and cook over boiling water, or use a can with a tight fitting cover and place the can in a pan of boiling water about 2/3 from the top of the can.
Steam for 3 hours.
Slice and serve with Butter Sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Guava | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Nutmeg + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Nutmeg + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,686 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Cinnamon + flourtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure as they set during steaming.
- Flour
- Forms the body of the pudding, giving it structure as it cooks.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas that lifts the batter, giving the duff a lighter crumb.
- Butter or margarine
- Adds fat for richness and a tender texture.
- Guava pulp
- Adds moisture and fruity flavor to the batter.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps tenderise the crumb when creamed with fat.
The step that matters
Keeping the water boiling and the pudding covered while steaming. Steam is what cooks a steamed pudding evenly. If the water boils dry or the lid is loose, steam escapes, the top dries out, and the pudding cooks unevenly and comes out dense.
Swap the guava
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, egg, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, flour):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Guavathe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, egg, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, flour. 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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