Why it works: Tea and ginger work together. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 216 recipes. Both carry (e)-2-octenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Yankee Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine one cup molasses, the same amount of sour milk or buttermilk, one-half cup sugar, two spoonfuls butter, two teaspoonfuls salt, one teaspoonful ginger, the same amount of cinnamon, five cups flour, and one cup; mix until smooth.
Bake the batter in a shallow pan.
Make the sauce
For the sauce, combine one pint milk or cream, half cup sugar, the white of one egg beaten lightly, one teaspoonful corn starch, and nutmeg.
Boil the sauce for one minute.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
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.
-
Tea + gingertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together216 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Milk + corntop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
-
Corn + gingertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together412 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + teatop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together738 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture and a dark, rich flavor to the batter.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the batter together as it bakes.
- Butter
- Adds fat, which gives the pudding tenderness and richness.
- Saleratus
- Reacts with the sour milk to release gas that helps the pudding rise.
- Milk
- Supplies liquid that forms the sauce and moistens the batter.
- Corn starch
- Thickens the sauce as it heats.
The step that matters
Boil the sauce for one minute. Cornstarch only thickens fully once the liquid reaches a boil, so the sauce needs enough heat to set. Milk scorches easily, so stirring while it boils helps prevent sticking and burning.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, butter, flour, milk, sugar, corn, tea):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Gingerthe original
- Clovefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, butter, flour, milk, sugar, corn, tea. 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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