Why it works: Cream and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Pineapple Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
In a bowl, mix corn starch, sugar, salt, and cold milk until well combined.
In a double boiler, add the mixture to the scalded cream, stirring constantly until it thickens, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Finish and chill
Remove from heat and gently fold in the beaten egg whites and grated pineapple.
Pour into a mold and refrigerate until congealed.
Serve chilled with whipped cream.
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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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Corn + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
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Pineapple + milktop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together885 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Corn + pineappletop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together150 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Cream + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Corn starch
- Thickens the cream mixture as it heats, giving the pudding its body.
- Scalded cream
- Provides richness and fat, giving the pudding a smooth, creamy texture.
- Eggs whites
- Beaten stiff and folded in, they add lightness and airy structure to the pudding.
- Grated pineapple
- Adds fruity flavour and acidity, and moisture to the pudding.
The step that matters
Stirring the custard as it thickens. Starch thickens only as it heats, and it can settle and scorch on the bottom if not stirred constantly. Constant stirring keeps the mixture smooth and evenly thickened.
Swap the pineapple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, sugar, corn, egg, milk):
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Figfits better
- Pineapplethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, sugar, corn, egg, milk. 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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