Why it works: Milk and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,155 recipes. Both carry decanoic acid, which smells acides aroma. The science ↓
Cabinet Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Butter and sugar a pudding mould holding 3 pts.
Mix raisins, currants, citron and cherries.
Assemble
Cover bottom of mould with a layer of mixed fruit, then cake, then fruit, and so on.
Make the custard
Make a custard and boil on stove until slightly thick, being careful not to curdle.
Then pour over cake in mould.
Cook and serve
Put in water and boil 2 hours.
Turn out on platter and serve with red jelly or wine sauce.
May also be baked in a moderate oven 1 hour by placing mould in a large shallow pan half full of water.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Water | 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.
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.
-
Milk + raisintop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,155 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Raisin + eggtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,556 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set the custard and give the pudding its firm, sliceable structure.
- Sweet milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard that binds the cake and fruit together.
- Raisins
- Add sweetness and chewy, moist pockets of fruit throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Boil the custard gently. Egg proteins set when heated, and too much heat makes them tighten and curdle, leaving a grainy texture. Gentle, steady heat and stirring keep the custard smooth and thick.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Lemonfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, 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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