Name: Rich Plum Pudding
Ingredients: 1 pound best raisins, stoned; 1 pound currants, washed and picked; 1 pound fresh beef suet, chopped very small; 2 ounces sweet almonds, blanched and chopped; 1 ounce bitter almonds, blanched and chopped; 1 pound sifted flour; 1 pound bread crumbs, soaked in milk and squeezed dry; 2 ounces preserved citron, cut into small pieces; 2 ounces preserved orange peel, cut into small pieces; 2 ounces preserved lemon peel, cut into small pieces; ¼ ounce mixed spice; ¼ pound moist sugar; 8 eggs; Milk, as needed for consistency; ⅓ cup brandy

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 ↓

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.

Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,075 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,781 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Almond + flourtop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,673 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,125 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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 add richness and structure as the pudding sets during boiling.
Bread crumbs: Soak up milk and add body, keeping the pudding moist and tender.
Beef suet: Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and gives it a rich texture.
Flour: Provides structure so the batter holds its shape when boiled.
Raisins: Add sweetness and chewy texture through the pudding.
Moist sugar: Adds sweetness and helps give the pudding a dark, rich flavour.

The step that matters

Soaking the fruit in brandy. Letting the fruit and spices sit in brandy for hours softens the dried fruit and lets the alcohol carry the spice flavours through the batter. Rushing this step leaves the pudding tasting flat and the fruit tough.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, beef, almond, flour, bread, milk, orange):

Figfits better
Vanillafits better
Coconutfits better
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, beef, almond, flour, bread, milk, orange. 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.

Rich Plum Pudding