Why it works: Nutmeg and cinnamon 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
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, combine the milk and beaten eggs, then add the sugar and mix well.
Flavor with nutmeg, cinnamon, or grated lemon rind as desired.
Pour the mixture into a greased dish.
Bake and serve
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until set.
Serve hot or cold.
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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Nutmeg + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Nutmeg + lemontop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Cinnamon + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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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 + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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 coagulate during baking, giving it a firm, sliceable body.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base, and its proteins help build the custard's soft, creamy texture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps soften the set custard's texture.
The step that matters
Bake until just set. Egg proteins coagulate with heat, so the custard sets as it bakes. Baking too long or at too high a heat can overcook the eggs, making the custard grainy, weepy, or rubbery. Remove it once the centre has just firmed.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, egg, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, butter):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits about as well
- Figfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, egg, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, 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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