Name: College Puddings
Ingredients: 2 ounces blanched almonds, grated; 5 eggs, yolks and whites separated; 8 ounces suet, shredded; 8 ounces currants; 1 ounce citron, minced; 1 ounce orange, minced; 1 handful sugar; ½ nutmeg, grated; 1 glass brandy; ½ pound butter

Why it works: Almond and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,115 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. 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.

Almond + nutmegtop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,115 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Almond + orangetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,125 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Currant + brandytop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,057 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Orange + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,746 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,245 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Bind the mixture and add structure so the puddings hold their shape.
Suet: Adds fat and richness, keeping the puddings moist and tender.
Butter: Fries the puddings, adding fat that promotes browning and a rich flavour.
Almonds: Add body and a nutty richness to the mixture.
Currants: Add sweetness and chewy pockets of fruit through the puddings.
Brandy: Adds a warm aroma and flavour to the mixture.

The step that matters

Fry the shaped puddings gently. Strong heat browns the outside before the centre sets, so the puddings can burn outside and stay wet inside. Gentle heat and turning two or three times let the centre cook through while the surface turns golden brown evenly.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (almond, egg, orange, sugar, nutmeg, brandy, butter):

Vanillafits better
Figfits better
Raisinfits better
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against almond, egg, orange, sugar, nutmeg, brandy, butter. 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.

College Puddings