Why it works: Milk and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,243 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
Baked Indian Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the pudding
Boil the milk, then remove it from the stove.
Stir in the cornmeal, molasses, and salt.
Add the cold milk without stirring just before baking.
Bake and serve
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) until set.
Serve with cream if desired.
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.
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Milk + molassestop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,243 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base and, with the cornmeal, forms the pudding's custard-like body.
- Cornmeal
- Thickens the hot milk as it cooks, giving the pudding its body and structure.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and deep flavor, and darkens the pudding as it bakes.
The step that matters
Adding the cold milk without stirring. Cold milk poured on top stays as a separate layer rather than mixing in, so the pudding bakes into distinct layers. Stirring it in would blend the layers and change the texture.
“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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