Why it works: Flour and raisin 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 ↓
Christmas Plum Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Mix the batter
Put the flour, suet, and all the fruit in a large pan.
Mix them well together.
Make a deep hole in the middle with your fist.
Add the salt, sugar, and allspice, and half a pint of milk or beer to dissolve them.
Add the four eggs and the remaining pint of milk or beer.
Mix all vigorously together by hand.
Boil and serve
Tie up the pudding in a well-greased and floured cloth.
Boil it for at least four hours, ensuring the water boils before the pudding is put into the pot to boil.
When done, turn the pudding out onto its dish.
If desired, pour over the sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground (1.9g) | 5 |
| 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.
-
Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Currant + allspicetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,359 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl benzoate (fruity, sweet).
-
Raisin + allspicetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,475 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
-
Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,180 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
-
Flour + allspicetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,302 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the pudding as it sets during boiling.
- Suet
- Adds richness and fat that keeps the pudding moist and tender.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and help it set firm as it cooks.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps dissolve the flavourings into the liquid.
- Raisins
- Add sweetness, chewy texture, and concentrated fruit flavour.
The step that matters
Make sure the water boils before the pudding goes in. Starting the pudding in water that is already boiling gets the cooking going quickly and evenly, so the pudding cooks through and sets properly. Adding it to cooler water slows the start and can leave the pudding heavy and wet inside.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, raisin, sugar, allspice, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Lemonfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, raisin, sugar, allspice, 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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