Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Apple Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Peel, core, and slice the apples.
Butter the baking dish thickly.
Layer and bake
Layer the apples in the dish, alternating with stale cake crumbs and melted butter, using 2 tablespoons of melted butter for every pint of apples.
Make the last layer a thick one of cake crumbs.
Beat together the eggs and sugar.
Pour the milk over the apples.
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven until the apples are tender.
Bake until golden brown.
Serve with cream.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Apple + milktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,104 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
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Apple + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,706 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Apples
- Provide the bulk and tart flavour, and soften into the body of the pudding.
- Eggs
- Bind the custard and help it set into a light, sliceable texture.
- Milk
- Forms the custard with the eggs, adding moisture and softness.
- Stale cake crumbs
- Absorb moisture and butter, giving structure and a crisp, golden top.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and balances the tartness of the apples.
The step that matters
Bake until golden brown. The custard sets as the eggs cook, while the crumbs brown. Underbaking leaves the custard loose; overbaking can make the eggs curdle and dry the crumbs.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, egg, sugar, milk):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Coconutfits about as well
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, egg, sugar, milk. 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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