Why it works: Molasses and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,577 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Suet Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pudding
Chop 2 cups suet finely.
Add 1 cup molasses.
Add 1 cup raisins and 1 teaspoon soda.
Add 1 teaspoon salt and flour to stiffen.
Steam for 3 or 4 hours.
Make the sauce
For the sauce, add 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup water, juice of 1 lemon, and a pinch of salt.
Boil all together.
Serve
Serve hot or cold.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| 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.
-
Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Raisin + lemontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,742 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Butter + lemontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Raisin + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,630 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).
-
Molasses + buttertop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,123 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
- Suet
- Adds fat that keeps the pudding rich, tender and moist as it steams.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture and a dark, deep flavour.
- Raisins
- Add chewy pockets of sweetness throughout the pudding.
- Soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to release gas that lightens the pudding.
- Flour (in the method)
- Provides the structure that firms the mixture into a pudding that holds its shape.
The step that matters
Steaming for 3 or 4 hours. Long, gentle steam cooks the pudding evenly and keeps it moist. If the steaming water boils dry or the heat is too fierce, the pudding can dry out or turn heavy and uneven.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, raisin, butter):
- Figfits better
- Currantfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, raisin, butter. 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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