Why it works: Flour and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,623 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Mansfield Pudding
7 personsIngredients
Directions
Soak the bread
Slice the roll very thin, and pour upon it a pint of boiling milk; let it remain covered close for 1/4 hour.
Beat it up with a fork, and sweeten with moist sugar.
Mix the batter
Stir in the chopped suet, flour, currants, and nutmeg.
Mix these ingredients well together, moisten with the eggs, brandy, and cream.
Beat the mixture for 2 or 3 minutes.
Bake and serve
Put it into a buttered dish or mould, and bake in a moderate oven for 1-1/4 hour.
Turn it out, strew sifted sugar over, and serve.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Brandy | 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.
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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Nutmeg + creamtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,685 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Brandy + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,311 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Milk and flour 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
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and help it set firmly as it bakes.
- Flour
- Adds body and helps give the pudding a firm, sliceable structure.
- Rolls
- Soak up the hot milk and form the soft, bready base of the pudding.
- Milk
- Softens the bread and supplies moisture for a tender texture.
- Cream
- Adds richness and moisture, giving a smoother, softer crumb.
- Brandy
- Adds a warm aroma and flavour to the pudding.
The step that matters
Baking in a moderate oven. The eggs set as the pudding bakes, so the oven must be moderate. Too hot and the outside overcooks or dries before the centre sets; too cool and the custard-like mixture stays loose.
“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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