Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Peach Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the custard
Scald the milk in a saucepan.
Mix cornstarch with a little milk, then stir it into the scalded milk.
Let the mixture cool, then add the beaten egg yolks and mix until smooth.
Assemble and bake
Layer the sliced peaches in a well-buttered pudding dish and sprinkle with sugar.
Pour the milk mixture over the peaches.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 15 minutes.
Top and finish
Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gradually add 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Spread the meringue over the pudding and return to the oven until golden brown.
Serve with 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.
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 + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Milk + peachtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together781 recipes
Shared aroma: phellandrene (minty).
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Peach + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together860 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard and gives it a soft, creamy body.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the milk as it heats, giving the custard structure and a smooth set.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and help set the custard, giving it a tender texture.
- Ripe peaches
- Provide fruit flavor and moisture that soaks into the pudding as it bakes.
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a stiff meringue that sets and browns on top for light structure.
The step that matters
Whisking the egg whites until stiff. Egg whites must be beaten to firm peaks with sugar added gradually so the meringue holds its shape and bakes into a stable, golden topping rather than weeping or collapsing.
Swap the peach
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, egg, sugar, butter):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Coconutfits about as well
- Peachthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, egg, sugar, butter. 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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