Why it works: Milk and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,655 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
Indian 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.
Make the custard base
Combine 1 quart of milk and ½ pint of water in a pot.
Heat the mixture until near boiling.
Mix ½ pint of cornmeal with a little water, add the cornmeal mixture to the pot and stir for about 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat.
Stir in 1 cup of molasses, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Bake
Gently add 1 cup of cold milk without stirring.
Bake in a 300°F (150°C) oven for nearly 4 hours.
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.
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Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Molasses + cinnamontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,928 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Milk + molassestop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,243 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cornmeal
- Thickens the liquid as it cooks, giving the pudding its body and structure.
- Milk
- Forms the main liquid base, adding richness and softness to the baked pudding.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark color and a deep flavor to the pudding.
The step that matters
Adding the cold milk without stirring. Pouring the cold milk on top without stirring leaves it as a separate layer that bakes gently, so the pudding sets with a creamy layer rather than being mixed into a uniform batter.
“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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