Why it works: Egg and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 118,967 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Marlborough 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.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, mix together the eggs, butter, and sugar until well combined.
Line a pie dish with pie paste.
Spread a layer of jam in the pie dish.
Bake
Pour the egg mixture over the jam.
Bake for 30 minutes.
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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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Egg + sugartop 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
- Eggs
- Set into a custard that holds the pudding together as it bakes.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a tender texture to the egg mixture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and helps it brown lightly in the oven.
- Jam
- Forms a sweet, fruity layer beneath the baked custard.
- Pie paste
- Forms the pastry shell that holds the filling in the dish.
The step that matters
Pour the egg mixture over the jam. Pouring gently keeps the jam layer in place rather than letting it mix into the custard. Eggs set as they heat, so the custard stays smooth and even only when baked at the stated temperature 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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