Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Cherry Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine flour, eggs, and salt.
Stir until smooth and no lumps remain.
Gradually add milk, mixing until well combined.
Gently fold in the floured cherries.
Boil and serve
Pour the mixture into a scalded and floured pudding cloth, tie it securely.
Place in a pot of boiling water with a plate at the bottom.
Boil for 1 hour.
Serve with sweet sauce.
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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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the starchy structure that sets the batter into a firm pudding.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and set during boiling to give the pudding its body.
- Whole milk
- Adds moisture and loosens the batter so it cooks evenly.
- Ripe cherries
- Provide fruit flavor, moisture and sweetness throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Securing the pudding cloth. If the cloth is not tied tightly or sealed well, water can seep into the batter and make the pudding soggy and diluted. A floured, scalded cloth also prevents sticking so the pudding releases cleanly.
“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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