Name: Eich Plum Pudding
Ingredients: 1 pound raisins, stoned; 1 pound currants, washed and picked; 1 pound fresh beef suet, chopped very small; 2 ounces sweet almonds, blanched and chopped; 1 ounce bitter almonds, blanched and chopped; 1 pound sifted flour; 1 pound bread crumbs, soaked in milk and squeezed dry; 2 ounces preserved citron, chopped; 2 ounces preserved orange peel, chopped; 2 ounces preserved lemon peel, chopped; ¼ ounce mixed spice; ¼ pound moist sugar; 8 eggs; Milk, as needed; ⅓ cup brandy

Why it works: Raisin and flour match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

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.

Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,075 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,781 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Almond + flourtop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,673 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Almond + orangetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,125 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together6,180 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Bind the batter and help set the pudding as it cooks.
Bread crumbs: Soaked in milk, they add moisture and a soft, tender crumb.
Fresh beef suet: Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and rich as it steams.
Flour: Provides structure so the pudding holds its shape when boiled.
Moist sugar: Adds sweetness and helps give the pudding a darker, richer colour.

The step that matters

Thickening the batter with milk. Milk must be added gradually until the batter is thick but still pourable. Too little leaves the pudding dense and heavy; too much makes it loose and weakens its structure as it boils.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, beef, almond, flour, bread, milk, orange):

Figfits better
Vanillafits better
Coconutfits better
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, beef, almond, flour, bread, milk, orange. 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.

Eich Plum Pudding