Why it works: Buttermilk and sugar match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,973 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Fruit Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Mix 1/2 cup buttermilk with 1 cup raisin currants and citron.
Add half of the teaspoon soda to the buttermilk.
Add the other half of the soda to the molasses.
Beat 1 cup sugar with 1 egg.
Stir the molasses and remaining soda into the beaten eggs and sugar.
Make and steam
Add 1 teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon allspice, and the fruit (floured a little).
Steam the mixture for three hours in a buttered mold.
Serve
Serve with egg sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Raisin | 1 small box (28g) | 85 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
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.
-
Buttermilk + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,180 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
-
Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Buttermilk + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together526 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Raisin + molassestop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Buttermilk
- Its acidity reacts with the soda to lift the batter and adds tenderness.
- Molasses
- Adds dark color, moisture and a deep sweetness to the pudding.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to release gas, helping the pudding rise.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and gives it structure as it sets during steaming.
- Raisin currants
- Provide chewy pockets of fruit sweetness throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Adding the soda to the buttermilk and molasses. Soda must meet acid to produce gas. Keeping the soda split between the acidic liquids and adding the mixture promptly before steaming lets the batter rise evenly rather than going flat.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (buttermilk, raisin, sugar, molasses, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Lemonfits about as well
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against buttermilk, raisin, sugar, molasses, egg. 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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