Why it works: Chocolate and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,404 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pudding
Grate the chocolate and stir it into the breadcrumbs with the sugar.
Beat the eggs well, add the milk, and mix all the ingredients together.
Pour the mixture into a mold and steam for 30 to 60 minutes.
Make the sauce and serve
Serve hot with sauce made from ½ pint boiling water, 2 teaspoons grated chocolate, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with cold water.
When the sauce thickens, add ⅓ cup port wine.
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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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Chocolate + milktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,128 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chocolate
- Provides the main flavor and richness of the pudding and sauce.
- Breadcrumbs
- Form the body of the pudding and soak up the liquid to set it.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and help it set firm when steamed.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and softness to the pudding.
- Cornstarch (in the method)
- Thickens the sauce as it heats.
The step that matters
Steaming the pudding. Steam must be kept gentle and steady so the eggs set evenly without the pudding becoming rubbery or watery. Check the water level so the mold does not boil dry.
“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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