Why it works: Raisin and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,377 recipes. Both carry alpha-terpineol, which smells lilac, floral. The science ↓
Chkistmas Plum Pudding in Mould
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Mix suet, currants, raisins, sugar, nutmeg, and candied peel together in a large bowl.
Beat the eggs well and moisten the mixture with the eggs and brandy, stirring until thoroughly blended.
Boil the pudding
Press the pudding mixture into a buttered mold and tie it down tightly with a floured cloth.
Boil the pudding for 5 to 6 hours.
It can also be boiled in a cloth without a mold for the same time.
After boiling, hang the pudding up to drain, placing a plate underneath to catch any water.
Serve
On the day of serving, plunge the pudding into boiling water and keep it boiling for at least 2 hours.
Turn the pudding out of the mold and serve with brandy sauce.
For a festive touch, place a sprig of holly on top and pour around ⅓ cup of brandy, lighting it before serving.
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 + nutmegtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
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Currant + brandytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,057 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Currant + raisintop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,180 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
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Raisin + brandytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,768 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Raisin + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Suet
- Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and rich during long boiling.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture together and add structure as the pudding sets.
- Currants
- Provide chewy texture and concentrated sweetness throughout the pudding.
- Raisins
- Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness throughout the pudding.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavour while moistening the mixture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps soften the texture of the pudding.
The step that matters
Keeping the pudding at a full boil during the long steaming. Long, steady boiling cooks the mixture through and sets the eggs and fat evenly. If the water drops below a boil or the pudding is left to stand too long, the texture turns heavy and unevenly cooked.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, egg, nutmeg, sugar, brandy):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Lemonfits about as well
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, egg, nutmeg, sugar, brandy. 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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