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Dessert

Jeff Davis Pudding

A steamed pudding made with butter, sour milk, molasses, raisins, and spices.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Gibson, Marietta Fauntleroy Hollyday, "Mrs. C. H. Gibson." · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

Jeff Davis Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine one cup of butter or suet, one cup of sour milk, one cup of molasses, a teaspoon of soda, one cup of raisins, enough flour to make a stiff batter, one teaspoonful of ground cloves, and one teaspoonful of allspice.

  2. Grease a pan, pour the batter into it, and steam for three to five hours.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

378Calories
9 gProtein
20 gFat
44 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Sour Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Molasses1 tbsp (20g)58
Cloves1 tsp ground (2g)7

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Gibson, Marietta Fauntleroy Hollyday, "Mrs. C. H. Gibson.". Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  2. Raisin + clovetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,070 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  3. Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together3,577 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  4. Molasses + clovetop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together3,483 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  5. Milk + raisintop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,155 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Butter
Adds fat that enriches the pudding and keeps its crumb tender and moist.
Sour milk
Its acidity reacts with the soda to help the batter rise and soften.
Molasses
Provides sweetness, moisture, and the dark, rich flavour of the pudding.
Raisins
Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness throughout the pudding.
Ground cloves
Contribute a warm, aromatic spice flavour that complements the molasses.

The step that matters

Steaming for three to five hours. Long steaming needs steady, gentle heat and enough water in the pot. If the water boils dry, the pudding dries out and turns dense and tough.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, milk, molasses, raisin):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Nutmegfits better
  3. Clovethe original
  4. Gingerfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, milk, molasses, raisin. 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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