Name: Rich Puddings and Pies
Ingredients: one pint of stewed pie plant; four ounces of sugar; one half pint of cream; two ounces of pounded cracker; one pint of sifted flour; three gills of milk; one gill of rich cream; three gills of rice; one quart of milk; three ounces of citron; one pound of currants; one pound of stoned raisins; one pound of bread crumbs; one gill of wine; two cups of cream; three ounces of blanched almonds; one pound of sugar; one gill of rose water; three pints of boiling milk; three spoonfuls of butter; one quart of strained pumpkin; two quarts of milk; one teaspoonful of salt; two teaspoonfuls of pounded cinnamon; two teaspoonfuls of nutmeg; five pints of milk; two pounds; two pounds of raisins; two pounds of sugar; two gills of rose water

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 ↓

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 pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,075 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Milk + ricetop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,374 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Currant + raisintop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together6,180 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
Milk + breadtop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,466 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Set the custard and add richness and structure to the filling.
Sugar: Sweetens the filling and helps balance the tartness of the rhubarb.
Cream: Adds fat and softness, giving the filling a smooth, rich texture.
Cracker crumbs: Soak up liquid and help thicken the fruit mixture.
Pie plant: Provides the tart fruit base that gives the filling its flavor and body.

The step that matters

Line your plate with a moderately rich paste and bake half an hour.. Egg-based fillings set as they heat, so the crust must be properly lined and baked long enough for the custard to firm without curdling or leaking.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, cream, flour, milk, rice, raisin, bread):

Vanillafits better
Figfits better
Coconutfits better
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, cream, flour, milk, rice, raisin, bread. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Beef	100g cooked	250
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Apple	1 medium (182g)	95
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Cracker	5 saltine crackers (15g)	66
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Almond	1 almond (1.2g)	7
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Pie	not in our table	0
Plant	not in our table	0
Rose	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0
Pumpkin	not in our table	0
Mace	not in our table	0
Brandy	not in our table	0
Arrowroot	not in our table	0
Quince	not in our table	0

Rich Puddings and Pies