Why it works: Nutmeg and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,318 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Apple Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Stew and strain the apples.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Mix and bake
In a bowl, mix the strained apples with eggs, butter, sugar, nutmeg, and lemon juice or peel.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish lined with pastry, if using.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until set.
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.
-
Nutmeg + lemontop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Apple + nutmegtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,790 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Apple + lemontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,551 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Apple + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,706 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Butter + nutmegtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together24,377 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Apples
- Provide the main bulk and moisture, with natural sweetness and fruity flavor.
- Eggs
- Set when baked, giving the pudding its structure and a firm, sliceable texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, tender texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and adds to its moist, tender crumb.
- Nutmeg
- Adds a warm, aromatic spice flavor.
- Lemon juice or peel
- Adds acidity and brightness that balance the sweetness of the apples and sugar.
The step that matters
Bake until set. The eggs set as they heat, so the pudding should be firm at the centre but not overbaked. Underbaking leaves it runny and wet, while overbaking makes the eggs curdle and turn dry and rubbery.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, butter, sugar, nutmeg, lemon):
- Vanillafits better
- Orangefits better
- Figfits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, butter, sugar, nutmeg, lemon. 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.
More apple pudding recipes
You might also like
Lemon Cake228 recipes
Lemon Ice147 recipes
Lemon Sherbet103 recipes
Apple Cake80 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.