Why it works: Flour and syrup are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,540 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
London Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Rub the lard and margarine into the flour in a bowl.
Warm the syrup slightly and add it to the mixture, mixing well.
Finally, add the baking powder and combine thoroughly.
Steam and serve
Pour the mixture into a greased basin, cover with greaseproof paper, and tie with a cloth.
Boil for two hours.
Serve with sweet sauce or additional Lyle's Golden Syrup.
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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Flour + syruptop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,540 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the structure of the pudding as the starch sets during cooking.
- Lard
- Rubbed into the flour to add richness and a tender, crumbly texture.
- Margarine
- Adds fat and moisture, contributing softness and richness to the crumb.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas when heated, helping the pudding rise and become light.
- Lyle's golden syrup
- Provides sweetness and moisture, and darkens slightly as it cooks.
The step that matters
Tying the cloth over the basin. The cover must be sealed firmly but left room to expand, because the pudding rises as the baking powder releases gas. A tight seal keeps steam in and water out during the long boil.
“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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