Why it works: Flour and raisin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Canadian Plum Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Combine one pound flour, one pint sweet milk, one cup brown sugar, one half teaspoon allspice, small piece citron chopped fine, two teaspoonful baking powder, six eggs, one half pint black molasses, two cups raisins chopped fine, one cup currants, one pound beef suet chopped fine, and one half teaspoon salt.
Sift a little flour into the raisins and currants.
Mix all well together to a very stiff batter.
Boil and serve
Boil for 4 hours in a pudding bag.
Serve with sauce either hot or cold.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground (1.9g) | 5 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
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.
-
Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Allspice + raisintop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,475 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
-
Flour + allspicetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,302 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Raisin + eggtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,556 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that holds the stiff batter together as it cooks.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and set as they cook, giving the pudding its body.
- Beef suet (in the method)
- Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and rich as it cooks.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter to give the pudding some lift.
- Black molasses (in the method)
- Adds sweetness, dark color and a moist, deep flavor.
- Raisins
- Add sweetness, chewy texture and moisture throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Boil for 4 hours in a pudding bag.. A stiff batter needs long, steady gentle heat to cook through and set evenly. Uneven or rapid boiling can leave the centre dense or the outside overcooked.
Swap the allspice
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, raisin, egg):
- Nutmegfits better
- Jalapenofits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Allspicethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, raisin, 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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