Name: Pouding De Noel {Christmas or Plum Pudding}
Ingredients: 1 lb stoned raisins; 1 lb picked and cleaned currants; 1 lb candied peel, cut into shreds; 1 lb moist sugar; 1 peeled apple, chopped; 2 oz ground almonds; the rind of 1 lemon, grated; ½ lb suet, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon ground cloves; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ lb bread crumbs; ½ lb flour; ¼ teaspoon salt; 5 eggs; ½ cup milk; ⅓ cup rum or brandy

Why it works: Clove and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. 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.

Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,189 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Almond + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,514 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,390 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,781 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,598 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

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 as the pudding sets during steaming.
Flour: Provides the structure that holds the pudding together after steaming.
Bread crumbs: Absorb liquid and add body, giving a soft, moist texture.
Suet: Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and rich in texture.
Moist sugar: Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps deepen the flavor.
Raisins: Add sweetness and chewy texture throughout the pudding.

The step that matters

Keep the water boiling during the four-hour steam. Steaming needs a steady supply of boiling water. If the water level drops or stops boiling, the pudding cooks unevenly and can turn heavy and dense. Adding more boiling water, rather than cold, keeps the heat constant.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, sugar, apple, almond, lemon, clove, cinnamon):

Figfits better
Orangefits better
Vanillafits better
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, sugar, apple, almond, lemon, clove, cinnamon. 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.

Pouding De Noel {Christmas or Plum Pudding}