Why it works: Nutmeg and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,377 recipes. Both carry alpha-terpineol, which smells lilac, floral. The science ↓
Thanksgiving Pudding I
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the custard base
Pour milk over crackers and let stand until cool.
Add sugar, eggs slightly beaten, nutmeg, salt, and butter.
Add the raisins
Parboil raisins until soft, by cooking in boiling water to cover.
Seed, and add to mixture.
Bake and serve
Turn into buttered pudding dish and bake slowly for two and one-half hours, stirring after the first half-hour to prevent raisins from settling.
Serve with Brandy Sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 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.
-
Nutmeg + raisintop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Milk + raisintop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,155 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).
-
Milk + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,685 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the custard and help set the pudding as it bakes.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that softens the crackers and sets into a custard.
- Rolled crackers
- Soak up the milk and give the pudding body and structure.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and aids browning during slow baking.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a tender texture to the custard.
- Raisins
- Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Stirring after the first half-hour. Raisins are denser than the custard and tend to sink during baking. Stirring once the mixture has begun to thicken keeps them evenly distributed through the pudding.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, sugar, egg, butter, nutmeg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Lemonfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, sugar, egg, butter, nutmeg. 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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.