Name: Double-rich Vanilla Pudding
Ingredients: from the sneaky kitchen:; 2/3 cups sugar; 4 tbsp cornstarch; 1/8 tsp salt (optional); 3 cups low-fat or skim milk; 3 egg yolks; 1/2 cup lite cream cheese, fat free, or neufchatel; 1 cup fat-free sour cream; 2 tsp vanilla

Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Double-rich Vanilla Pudding

Timeabout 1 minute

Ingredients

Directions

Make the custard

Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
Add between 1/2 to 1 cup of the milk, stirring to dissolve the corn starch.
Place the remaining milk in a Teflon saucepan over medium heat.
Heat just to the boiling point, stirring frequently.
Stir the sugar/corn starch mixture again to re-mix.
Pour into the hot milk and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat and boil for about 1 minute.
Remove from heat for a moment.
Beat the egg yolks with a fork in the same small container in which the sugar and starch were mixed.
Pour a tablespoon of hot pudding into the yolks, beating with a fork or whisk.
Continue to add and beat until you have added about 1/4 cup of the hot mixture.
Return pudding to the fire and add the egg yolk mixture, stirring vigorously.
Continue to stir until mixture boils for another minute.
Remove from heat.

Add the cream cheese and finish

Place the cream cheese in the small bowl.
Add a little hot pudding and mix well.
Continue to add hot pudding, stirring until the cream cheese is liquefied.
Add the cheese mixture to the pudding.
Add the fat-free sour cream and vanilla, and mix thoroughly.
DO NOT use a mixer, food processor or blender!
Chill well and enjoy!

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

942Calories

46 gProtein

25 gFat

128 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Cream Cheese	1 oz (28g)	99
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Cream cheese + vanillatop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,929 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Milk + cream cheesetop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,393 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Cornstarch: Thickens the milk into a smooth pudding as it heats and boils.
Egg yolks: Add richness and help set the custard as they are gently heated.
Sugar: Sweetens the pudding and helps keep the starch smooth.
Lite cream cheese or neufchatel: Adds body and creaminess to the finished pudding.
Fat-free sour cream: Adds tang and a creamy, smooth texture.

The step that matters

Tempering the egg yolks. Adding hot pudding to the yolks gradually, while beating, warms them without scrambling. Returning the mixture to the heat then thickens it smoothly. Adding yolks straight to the hot pan can curdle them.

“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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Double-rich Vanilla Pudding