Why it works: Allspice and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,331 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Santa Cruz Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Combine one pound chopped raw veal with equal quantities of butter and bread crumbs.
Boil 1 quart of milk, add a large lump of butter, pour over the crumbs, and set aside to cool.
Add pepper, salt, thyme, allspice, and a little nutmeg to the meat.
When the bread and milk mixture is very cold, beat in the meat and add five well-beaten eggs.
Cook and serve
Pour the mixture into a buttered pudding mould and boil for 3 hours.
Serve with a rich tomato sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground (1.9g) | 5 |
| Thyme | 1 tsp dried (1.4g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Veal | 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.
-
Allspice + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,331 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Thyme + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,077 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Thyme + nutmegtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,907 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Pepper + thymetop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,585 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Pepper + allspicetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,395 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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 set into a firm, sliceable pudding when cooked.
- Bread crumbs (in the method)
- Absorb the milk and butter to give the pudding its body.
- Veal
- Provides the meaty base and savoury flavour of the pudding.
- Milk (in the method)
- Moistens the bread crumbs and keeps the pudding tender.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds richness and fat that keeps the pudding moist.
The step that matters
Cool the bread and milk mixture before adding the meat and eggs. If the hot bread and milk mixture is added to the beaten eggs, the eggs may begin to scramble and lose their smooth binding effect, so the mixture can set unevenly.
Swap the thyme
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, egg, pepper, allspice, nutmeg):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Clovefits better
- Marjoramfits better
- Thymethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, egg, pepper, allspice, 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
Veal Patties50 recipes
Beef, Mutton, or Veal Broth6 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 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.