Why it works: Raisin and flour 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 ↓
Suet Plum Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Chop 1 cupful suet finely and add 1 cupful cooking molasses.
Add 1 cupful milk and 1 cupful raisins.
Add 3 cupfuls flour and 1 egg.
Add 1 teaspoonful each of a little nutmeg, salt, cloves, cinnamon, soda.
Boil for 3 hours in a pudding mould set into a kettle of water.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
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.
-
Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
-
Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Raisin + molassestop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Suet
- Adds richness and a moist, tender crumb as it melts during cooking.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the pudding together.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture and adds structure as it sets.
- Cooking molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark colour and a moist texture.
The step that matters
Boil for 3 hours in a pudding mould set into a kettle of water. The pudding is cooked by steam and gentle heat from the water bath. If the water boils dry or the mould sits directly on the heat, the pudding can scorch or cook unevenly. Keep the water topped up and at a steady simmer.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, flour, egg, molasses, milk):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegthe original
- Jalapenofits less well
- Allspicefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, flour, egg, molasses, milk. 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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