Name: Thanksgiving Pudding
Ingredients: 1 cup milk; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 4 teaspoons brandy; ½ nutmeg, grated; ¾ cup flour; 1½ cups soft bread crumbs; 1 cup scalded milk; 5 eggs; 1 cup raisins; ½ cup currants; ¼ cup finely chopped dates; ¼ cup finely chopped citron; ¼ cup finely chopped suet; grated rind of a small lemon; ½ cup chopped walnuts; ¼ nutmeg, grated; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons brandy; 2 tablespoons sherry

Why it works: Flour and raisin 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 ↓

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.

Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,075 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Nutmeg + raisintop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,377 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
Brandy + curranttop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,057 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,623 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked 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

Eggs: Bind the batter and set into a firm, tender structure as the pudding steams.
Flour: Provides the main structure that holds the pudding together once cooked.
Bread crumbs: Soak up the hot milk to add moisture and a soft, light texture.
Suet: Adds fat that gives the pudding a rich, tender crumb.
Baking soda: Reacts with the milk to help the pudding rise and lighten.
Raisins: Add sweetness and chewy texture throughout the pudding.

The step that matters

Steam in a buttered mold for six hours. Steaming gently and for the full time lets the eggs and starches set evenly without drying out. Cutting the time short leaves the centre wet and dense, and a poorly buttered mold can make the pudding stick and tear when turned out.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, brandy, nutmeg, flour, bread, egg, raisin):

Figfits better
Vanillafits better
Datesfits about as well
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against milk, brandy, nutmeg, flour, bread, egg, raisin. 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.

Thanksgiving Pudding