Why it works: Sugar and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Prune Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
Mix and bake
In a bowl, combine stewed prunes, chopped walnuts, sifted sugar, and salt.
Gently fold in the well-beaten egg whites.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish.
Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Serve
Serve with cream immediately after baking.
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.
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Walnut + eggtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,037 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Walnut + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,147 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped and folded in, they trap air and give the pudding its light, airy structure as it sets.
- Stewed prunes
- Provide moisture, sweetness and the dark, fruity flavour that defines the pudding.
- Chopped english walnuts
- Add texture and a nutty crunch that contrasts with the soft pudding.
- Sifted sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps give the pudding its tender, moist body.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Egg whites hold air only when beaten to the right stage and folded in gently. Stirring vigorously deflates the foam, so the pudding bakes up dense instead of light.
Swap the walnut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg):
- Pecansfits better
- Almondfits better
- Chestnutfits about as well
- Walnutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg. 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.
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.