Why it works: Molasses and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,429 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Black Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a large bowl, mix together molasses, cold water, baking soda, salt, flour, and fruit until well combined.
Steam and serve
Pour the mixture into a well-buttered 6-quart pail and cover tightly.
Steam for 3 hours.
Serve with 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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Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Adds dark sweetness, moisture and a deep flavour to the pudding.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses' acidity to lighten the pudding as it steams.
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the pudding together as it sets.
- Fruit
- Adds moisture, sweetness and pockets of flavour throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Cover the pail tightly before steaming. A loose cover lets steam escape and water condense unevenly, so the pudding can dry out or turn heavy. A tight seal keeps moisture in so it cooks evenly.
“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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