Why it works: Sugar and rum are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,908 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Prune Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and mix
Cut the prunes in half and remove the stones and kernels.
Mix the prunes with the breadcrumbs, suet, sugar, rum or wine, and eggs.
Cook
Transfer the mixture into a mold, cover with a floured cloth, and boil for three hours.
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.
-
Sugar + rumtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,908 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Rum + eggtop 27% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,589 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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 help it set into a firm, sliceable pudding as it cooks.
- Breadcrumbs
- Provide the starchy body that soaks up moisture and gives the pudding its crumb.
- Suet
- Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and rich as it steams.
- Prunes
- Add natural sweetness, moisture and a soft, dense texture to the pudding.
- Moist sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps give the pudding a darker, richer flavor.
The step that matters
Boiling the mold for three hours. The pudding must cook long and steadily so the eggs and starch set fully. Too little time or a rapid, uneven boil can leave it wet in the center or cause it to crack or toughen at the edges.
“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 prune pudding recipes
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 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.