Why it works: Buttermilk and syrup match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Graham Gems
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine the beaten egg, salt, buttermilk, syrup, lard, and baking soda.
Gradually add Graham flour until you achieve a stiff batter.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of the batter into buttered gem rings.
Bake until light brown.
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.
-
Buttermilk + syruptop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together124 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Syrup + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,540 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Egg + buttermilktop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,986 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure as the gems set.
- Sour milk or buttermilk
- Provides acidity that reacts with baking soda to help the gems rise.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in the buttermilk to produce gas for rising.
- Graham flour
- Forms the stiff batter's main structure and gives the gems their wholesome, nutty flavour.
- Lard
- Adds fat for tenderness and helps the gems brown in the hot oven.
- Syrup
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and aids browning in the oven.
The step that matters
Adding the Graham flour. The batter must be stiff enough to hold its shape in the gem rings. Adding flour gradually lets you stop when the texture is right, since too much flour makes the gems dense and dry, while too little leaves them spreading and flat.
“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.
More graham gems recipes
You might also like
Buttermilk Pie12 recipes
Oranges in Syrup9 recipes
Syrup Sauce6 recipes
White Cake431 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.