Why it works: Raisin and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,742 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Plum Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Two cupfuls each of stoned raisins and currants, washed and picked, beef-suet chopped fine, and coffee sugar, 3 cupfuls of grated English muffins or bread, 8 eggs 1 cupful each, chopped citron and almonds, blanched by pouring boiling water over them till the skins slip off easily, and 1 lemon peel, and a pinch of salt. Mix all these ingredients in a large bowl, put in a well-buttered mould, set in a saucepan with boiling water to reach two-thirds up its sides, steam it thus 5 hours; turn it out carefully on its dish, and serve with brandy poured over it, and brandy sauce in a bowl. When about to serve on the table, the brandy should be set on fire.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| 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.
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Raisin + lemontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,742 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Raisin + eggtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,556 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Egg and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 44,316 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
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, lemon):
- Orangefits better
- Limefits better
- Raspberryfits better
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, lemon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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