Why it works: Sugar and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Prune Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Cook the prunes
Combine prunes and water in a pot.
Cook slowly until prunes are soft, about several hours.
Drain the syrup from the prunes and remove the pits.
Bake and serve
Place the prunes in a baking dish and add the syrup.
Mix in the beaten egg whites.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream.
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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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Prunes
- Softened fruit that provides the pudding's body, flavor and natural sweetness.
- Egg whites
- Beaten whites trap air and set as they bake, giving the pudding a light, firm structure.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to balance the tart, concentrated flavor of the cooked prunes.
The step that matters
Mixing in the beaten egg whites. Beaten egg whites hold air in a foam that makes the pudding light when baked. Stirring them in gently keeps that air from collapsing, while overmixing deflates the foam and leaves a denser result.
“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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