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
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a warm oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the milk base
Combine milk, cream, and cinnamon in a clean saucepan.
Heat over low fire until boiling.
Make the custard mixture
Break eggs into a bowl and grate in the almonds.
Mix in powdered sugar to taste.
Pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture and whisk well.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve.
Skim off any froth.
Bake and serve
Pour into custard cups.
Sprinkle with nutmeg.
Bake in a warm oven at 300°F (150°C) until set.
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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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Almond + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,514 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Almond + nutmegtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,115 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Nutmeg + lemontop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Cinnamon + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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 it a firm, tender body.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard and keeps it soft and creamy.
- Cream
- Adds richness and fat, giving a smoother, silkier texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the custard and dissolves smoothly into the liquid base.
- Sweet almonds
- Add nutty flavour and body from the grated nuts.
The step that matters
Pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture and whisk well. Adding hot liquid to eggs gradually while whisking tempers them, so the eggs warm evenly without scrambling. Thorough whisking keeps the custard smooth and uniformly set.
Swap the lemon
The recipe marks lemon as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, cream, egg, almond, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, cream, egg, almond, 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.
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