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Dessert

Fig Pudding

A steamed or boiled pudding made with molasses, suet, milk, flour, figs, spices, soda, and eggs.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Jacqueline Harrison Smith (ed.) · From a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Fig Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

  1. Mix molasses, suet, spices, and figs cut fine.

  2. Dissolve soda with 1 tablespoon of hot water, mix with the milk, and add to the other ingredients.

  3. Beat eggs lightly and stir into the mixture.

  4. Add flour and beat well.

Steam or boil and serve

  1. Butter the mould and steam for 5 hours.

  2. Alternatively, boil for 3 hours.

  3. Serve hot with foamy wine sauce.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

807Calories
28 gProtein
15 gFat
138 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Molasses1 tbsp (20g)58
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Jacqueline Harrison Smith (ed.). Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

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.

  1. Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11,917 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,623 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,341 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,655 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  5. Molasses + cinnamontop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together4,928 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

What each ingredient does

Molasses
Adds sweetness, moisture, and the dark colour and rich flavour of the pudding.
Suet
Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and gives it a tender, rich texture.
Flour
Provides the structure as its starches set and its proteins form a network during cooking.
Eggs
Bind the batter and help set its structure as they cook.
Milk
Supplies liquid that hydrates the flour and keeps the batter moist.
Soda
Reacts with the acidic molasses to release gas, helping the pudding rise and lighten.

The step that matters

Dissolving the soda before mixing. Soda must be fully dissolved so it spreads evenly through the batter. Once it meets the acid in the molasses it releases gas, so an even dispersal gives an even rise and an uneven one leaves dense or patchy spots.

“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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