Why it works: Pineapple and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,964 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Pineapple Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the pineapple
If using chunks or slices, cut them into small pieces.
Remove the fruit from the can.
Fill the can with water and add it to the pineapple juice.
If using shredded pineapple, use a whole can of water.
Make the custard
Combine the pineapple, juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a pot and bring to a boil.
Once tender, thicken the mixture with cornstarch.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Add the egg yolks one at a time.
Finish and bake
Once light, gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 15 minutes, until set.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Pineapple + lemontop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,964 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Pineapple + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,841 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pineapple
- Provides the main fruit flavour, sweetness, acidity and moisture to the pudding.
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and set the custard, while whites folded in add lightness and structure.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the pineapple juice into a glossy base as its starch swells when heated.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and balances the tartness of the fruit and lemon.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the pineapple flavour and offsets the sugar.
The step that matters
Fold in the egg whites gently. Whites trap air that gives the pudding its rise. Stirring or beating hard deflates the foam, so the pudding bakes denser and flatter.
Swap the pineapple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, lemon, sugar):
- Orangefits better
- Vanillafits better
- Limefits better
- Pineapplethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, lemon, sugar. 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.
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