Why it works: Raisin and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,781 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓
Custard Puddings
Ingredients
Directions
Clean currants and stone raisins carefully.
Finely pound almonds and spices.
Grate the rinds of oranges or lemons, avoiding the bitter part.
Simmer custard puddings gently to keep the surface smooth.
Butter a sheet of writing paper and place it between the custard mixture and the cloth before tying.
Butter the mould or basin well and fill it completely.
After boiling, let the pudding sit in the mould for 5 minutes before serving.
Beat the batter well just before pouring it into the cloth and tie securely.
Use a moist, thickly floured cloth for boiling.
Serve the pudding immediately after cooking to prevent it from becoming heavy.
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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Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,781 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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Almond + orangetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,125 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Currant + raisintop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,180 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
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Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Raisin + orangetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,684 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, almond, orange, butter):
- Figfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, almond, orange, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
More custard pudding recipes
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