Why it works: Raisin and flour match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Wheat-graham Suet Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a large bowl, combine the suet, molasses, milk, raisins, graham flour, wheat flour, and baking powder. Mix until well combined.
Pour the mixture into a pudding mold or heatproof container.
Steam
Steam for 3 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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Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + wheattop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,418 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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Flour + wheattop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Raisin + wheattop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together163 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Suet
- Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and rich as it steams.
- Graham flour
- Provides the structure and hearty, nutty body of the pudding.
- Wheat flour
- Builds structure so the batter holds together while steaming.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark colour and a deep, treacly flavour.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas that lifts the batter so the pudding rises lightly.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flours and helps form a smooth, moist batter.
The step that matters
Steam for 3 hours. Steam must stay steady and the water must not boil dry, since gentle, sustained heat cooks the pudding through evenly. Uneven or interrupted steaming can leave it dense or underdone in the centre.
“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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