Why it works: Wine and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,887 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Prune Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the prunes
Cook the prunes until very soft.
Mash the prunes finely and run them through a sieve.
Make the pudding
Beat the egg whites until very stiff.
Gently mix the beaten egg whites with the prunes.
Flavor the mixture with wine.
Bake and serve
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until set.
Serve with plain or whipped 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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Wine + creamtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,887 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Egg + winetop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,918 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptenal (green).
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
- Prunes
- Provide the main fruit flavor, natural sweetness, and the body of the pudding.
- Egg whites
- Trap air when beaten, then set with heat to give the pudding its light, airy structure.
- Wine
- Adds aroma and a touch of acidity that brightens the sweet prune flavor.
The step that matters
Folding in the beaten egg whites. Egg whites hold air only when beaten stiff, and that trapped air gives the pudding its rise and light texture. Mixing too vigorously deflates the foam, so the whites should be folded in gently.
“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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