Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Prune 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.
Prepare the raisins
Stew the raisins in enough water to cover them until soft.
Make the meringue
Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth.
Gradually add the powdered sugar and cream of tartar to the egg whites.
Bake and serve
Pour the mixture into an earthen pudding dish.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) for 22 minutes.
Serve with soft custard.
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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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Raisin + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Raisin + eggtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,556 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Egg and cream barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a stiff froth, they form the light, airy structure of the pudding.
- Powdered sugar
- Added gradually to the whites, it sweetens and helps stabilise the foam.
- Cream of tartar
- Acidifies the egg whites, helping them whip to a stronger, more stable foam.
- Raisins
- Stewed until soft, they supply fruit flavour and sweetness to the pudding.
The step that matters
Gradually add the powdered sugar and cream of tartar to the egg whites.. Adding sugar too quickly can deflate the foam. Adding it gradually lets the whites keep their structure, so the baked pudding stays light.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, cream):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinthe original
- Strawberryfits about as well
- Raspberryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, cream. 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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