Why it works: Pepper and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 50,459 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Rump Steak Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the basin
Prepare a suet crust ½ inch thick.
Line a quart basin with the crust, raising it 1½ to 2 inches above the edge.
Layer the trimmed rump steak in the basin, seasoning with salt, pepper, or cayenne.
Pour cold water into the basin to create gravy.
Cover and seal
Roll out a cover for the pudding.
Moisten the edges of the cover.
Press the edges together with the crust.
Cover the pudding with a floured cloth.
Tie the cloth securely.
Boil and serve
Place the pudding in boiling water.
Boil for 3 to 5 hours, depending on size.
When done, pierce the top to prevent bursting.
Remove the cloth.
Cut a small opening for steam to escape 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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Pepper + flourtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Suet crust
- Forms a sealed, sturdy casing that holds the steak and gravy while it steams.
- Rump steak
- Provides the meat that becomes tender during long, slow boiling.
- Cold water
- Creates the gravy that forms in the basin as the steak cooks.
The step that matters
Pressing and sealing the edges. If the cover is not well moistened and pressed tight, steam and liquid can escape or the seam can open during the long boil, leaving the filling dry or the water seeping in.
“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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