Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Pineapple Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Line a dish with rich pastry.
Weigh the grated pineapple and measure an equal weight of sugar and half that weight of butter.
Make the filling
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Beat in the yolks of five eggs.
Add the grated pineapple and cream, mixing well.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold them into the mixture.
Bake and serve
Pour the mixture into the pastry-lined dish.
Bake until the pastry is done and serve hot.
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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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Pineapple + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,134 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pineapple
- Provides the bulk and tangy, sweet fruit flavour of the pudding.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps cream the butter to a light base.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, giving the filling a tender, smooth texture.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the custard-like filling and help it set when baked.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they lighten the mixture and give it rise.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, keeping the filling soft and smooth.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped whites hold air that lightens the filling. Stirring them in vigorously knocks that air out, so the pudding bakes denser and less risen. Fold gently, keeping the mixture as airy as possible.
Swap the pineapple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, egg, cream):
- Vanillafits better
- Strawberryfits better
- Raspberryfits better
- Pineapplethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, egg, cream. 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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