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 ↓
Geaham Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a large bowl, combine sweet milk, raisins, graham flour, egg, salt, molasses, baking soda, cinnamon, and grated nutmeg, then mix until well combined.
Pour the mixture into a greased pudding mold.
Steam
Steam continuously for 2 hours.
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.
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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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Graham flour
- Forms the bulk of the batter and gives the pudding its structure and wholesome texture.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and helps set the pudding as it steams.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color and sweetness, with a deep, rich flavor.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to lighten the batter and help it rise.
- Raisins
- Add pockets of chewy sweetness and moisture throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Steam continuously for 2 hours. Steaming gives gentle, even heat that sets the batter into a moist pudding. If the water boils dry or the steam drops, the pudding can turn out dense or unevenly cooked, so the water level must be kept up for the full time.
“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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