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 ↓
Pineapple Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Cream the butter and sugar until light.
Make the batter
Add the egg yolks, grated pineapple, milk, and cornstarch, mixing well.
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
Pour the mixture into a well-buttered pudding tin.
Bake and serve
Bake for 30 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream, hot or cold.
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).
-
Pineapple + milktop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together885 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Pineapple + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,134 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
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
- Eggs
- Egg whites, beaten and folded in, give the pudding a light, airy structure, while yolks enrich it.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar, it adds richness and a tender crumb.
- Sugar
- Creamed with butter, it sweetens the pudding and helps create a light texture.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the liquid as it heats, giving the pudding a set, sliceable body.
- Pineapple
- Supplies moisture and fruity sweetness with a bright acidity.
The step that matters
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Beaten egg whites hold air that gives the pudding its lift. Stirring them vigorously deflates the foam, leaving a dense result, so fold slowly and only until just combined.
Swap the pineapple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, milk, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Coconutfits better
- Pineapplethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, milk, egg. 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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