Why it works: Milk and corn are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,955 recipes. Both carry hexanal, which smells green, grassy. The science ↓
Baked Indian Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of sweet skimmed milk to a boil.
Gradually stir in 8 tablespoons of corn meal and 2 teaspoons of salt.
Add 2 beaten eggs and 1 cup of molasses, mixing well.
Once scalded, stir in 1 pint of cold milk.
Bake
Pour the mixture over 1 quart of small pieces of sweet apple or pear.
Bake in a deep earthen dish or bean pot at 300°F (150°C) for six 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.
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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Milk + corntop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
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Milk + appletop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,104 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
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Corn + appletop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together330 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + molassestop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,243 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Corn meal
- Thickens the milk into a set, spoonable pudding as it cooks slowly.
- Eggs
- Set during baking to add structure and a custard-like body to the pudding.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and a deep, caramel-like flavour and colour.
- Milk
- Forms the main liquid base, giving the pudding its creamy texture.
- Apple or pear
- Adds moisture and fruity sweetness that softens as the pudding bakes.
The step that matters
Stir in the corn meal gradually. Adding cornmeal slowly into boiling milk, while stirring, prevents lumps and clumps, so it thickens evenly into a smooth pudding.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, corn, egg, molasses):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Raisinfits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, corn, egg, molasses. 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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