Why it works: Clove and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,686 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Suet Pudding, No. 2
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine suet or butter, molasses, raisins, currants, egg, sweet milk, and dissolved saleratus.
Add cloves and nutmeg, then mix in enough flour to create a stiff batter.
Steam the pudding
Transfer the mixture to a steamer and steam for 3 hours.
Make the sauce
For the sauce, cream together butter and sugar, then add beaten eggs and boiling water.
Flavor the sauce with wine, brandy, or vanilla.
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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Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,686 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Raisin + clovetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,070 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,180 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Suet or butter
- Adds fat and richness, keeping the pudding moist and tender as it steams.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and dark color, and contributes moisture to the batter.
- Egg
- Binds the batter together and gives the pudding structure as it cooks.
- Saleratus (baking soda)
- Reacts with the molasses's acidity to produce gas that lightens the pudding.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that sets the batter into a firm, stiff pudding.
The step that matters
Mixing in the flour to a stiff batter. Too much flour makes the pudding dense and dry, while too little leaves it loose and unable to hold its shape during steaming. Stir only until the batter is stiff and evenly combined.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, molasses, raisin, egg, milk, clove, nutmeg):
- Figfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, molasses, raisin, egg, milk, clove, nutmeg. 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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