Why it works: Egg and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Prune Shape
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the prunes
Place prunes in a sieve and pour cold water over the prunes.
Put the prunes in a stewing jar with just enough water to cover them and cook until done.
Remove the stones from the cooked prunes.
Place the fruit at the bottom of a wide mold, wetting the mold first.
Make the custard
Mix the egg yolks, milk, and sugar in a bowl.
Stand the bowl in a tin of warm water over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.
Fold in the whipped egg whites.
Pour the custard over the prunes in the mold.
Bake and serve
Place the mold in a tin of water.
Bake in a moderate oven (350°F/175°C) for 20 minutes.
Remove the mold from the oven.
Cool the mold.
Ice the dessert.
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.
-
Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar 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
- Prunes
- Provide the fruit base and a soft, sweet, tender flavor once cooked.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the custard as they set with gentle heat, giving it a rich texture.
- Whipped egg whites
- Add air and lightness, helping the pudding rise and feel delicate.
- Milk
- Supplies liquid and richness to the custard, softening its set.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and balances the tartness of the prunes.
The step that matters
Thickening the custard over low heat. Egg yolks set at around 160°F to 180°F. Heating too fast or without constant stirring can scramble them into lumps, so the bowl should sit over gentle, steady warmth.
“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.
More prune pudding recipes
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.