Why it works: Sugar and sauce match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,147 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Puff Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Assemble
Layer fruit and cake in a mold alternately.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and sugar to make a custard.
Pour the custard over the layered fruit and cake.
Steam and serve
Steam the pudding in a kettle of water or a pan of water in the oven for about 45 minutes.
Test for doneness by inserting a knife; if it comes out clean, the pudding is done.
Serve with jelly sauce.
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.
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 + saucetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,147 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + saucetop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,759 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Eggs
- Set the custard as they heat, binding the pudding into a firm, sliceable structure.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base of the custard, adding moisture and softness to the pudding.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to the custard and balances the eggs and milk.
- Cake
- Soaks up the custard and holds its shape, giving the pudding body and a tender crumb.
- Fruit
- Adds moisture and fruity flavour that runs through the layers as the custard sets.
The step that matters
Test for doneness with a knife. Eggs set as the custard heats, and overheating makes them curdle and turn rubbery. A knife that comes out clean shows the custard has set without overcooking.
“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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