Name: Plum Pudding, No. 2
Ingredients: 12 ounces milk; 8 ounces cracker crumbs; 4 ounces butter; 8 ounces raisins; 8 ounces currants; 2 ounces citron

Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

Plum Pudding, No. 2

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Mix

In a large bowl, combine the milk, cracker crumbs, and melted butter.
Stir in the raisins, currants, and citron until well mixed.
Pour the mixture into a pudding mold or a greased baking dish.

Cook and serve

Steam or bake in a moderate oven (350°F / 175°C) for about 2 hours.
Let cool slightly before serving.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together6,180 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
Milk + raisintop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,155 recipes

Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).
Milk + curranttop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together5,475 recipes

Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
Butter + curranttop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,856 recipes

Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cracker crumbs: Absorb the milk and butter to form a soft, cohesive body for the pudding.
Butter: Adds richness and fat, giving the pudding a tender, moist crumb.
Milk: Moistens the crumbs and helps the pudding set as it cooks.
Raisins: Add sweetness and chewy texture throughout the pudding.
Currants: Add concentrated sweetness and small pockets of chewy fruit.