Why it works: Raisin and flour match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Bedford Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the custard
Beat the eggs well.
Boil the milk, then remove from heat and stir in the honey.
Add the milk mixture to the eggs and beat for 10 minutes; let it cool.
Make the pastry
Moisten the dried flour with cold water and knead to a firm paste.
Roll out the paste and spread the butter over it.
Grease a 12-inch tin dish with butter, lay in the paste, and trim the edges.
Fill and bake
Stir the fruit into the custard and pour it into the paste.
Bake in a well-heated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 45 minutes.
Turn it out onto a napkin and serve.
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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Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Honey + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,336 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).
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Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,180 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Eggs
- Set the custard as they cook, giving the filling its structure and body.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, which sets around the eggs in the oven.
- Dried flour
- Knead with water to form a firm paste that holds the custard in its tin.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat to the paste, tenderising it and aiding browning.
- Honey
- Adds sweetness and a little moisture to the custard.
- Raisins
- Add chewy sweetness and concentrated fruit flavour throughout the custard.
The step that matters
Adding the hot milk to the eggs. Pouring hot milk into eggs too quickly can scramble them, leaving lumps. Adding it gradually while beating keeps the custard smooth, so it sets evenly in the oven.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, honey, egg, milk, flour, butter):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Coconutfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, honey, egg, milk, flour, butter. 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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