Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Custard Pudding with Fruit
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Assemble
Line the bottom of a pudding dish with thin slices of buttered bread.
Add a layer of currants and thinly sliced citron.
Repeat layers until the dish is half full, finishing with bread and butter on top.
Make the custard
In a bowl, beat the eggs and mix with the milk and sugar.
Pour part of the egg and milk mixture over the bread in the dish and let it stand for 15-20 minutes.
Fill the dish with the remaining mixture, then sift cinnamon and nutmeg over the top.
Bake and serve
Place the dish in a pan of hot water and bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven.
Let it cool before serving.
Serve with your preferred sauce.
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.
-
Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
-
Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Eggs
- Set the custard as they cook, giving the pudding its structure and body.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard and keeps the pudding moist and tender.
- Bread
- Soaks up the custard, holding the layers together and giving a soft, absorbent texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and helps it brown lightly at the surface.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavour to the bread layers and top.
The step that matters
Place the dish in a pan of hot water. The water bath surrounds the custard with gentle, even heat, so the eggs set smoothly without curdling or overcooking at the edges.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, butter, milk, egg, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Raisinfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against bread, butter, milk, egg, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. 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.
You might also like
Bread Pudding153 recipes
Soft Ginger Bread85 recipes
Orange Potato Bread80 recipes
Cinnamon Rolls71 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.