Name: Old-fashioned Baked Custard
Ingredients: 3 large eggs, slightly beaten, or ¾-cup egg substitute; 2 tablespoons sugar; ¼ teaspoon salt; ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg; 2 cups fat-free milk; ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract; pinch of ground cinnamon

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 ↓

Old-fashioned Baked Custard

Oven325°F

Time35 minutes

Ingredients

3 large eggs, slightly beaten, or ¾-cup egg substitute
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups fat-free milk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of ground cinnamon

Directions

Prepare

Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, salt and nutmeg.
Slowly stir in milk and vanilla.

Fill and bake

Pour ½ cup custard into each of six 5-ounce custard cups.
Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Set filled custard cups in a shallow pan.
Pour about 1 inch of hot water in the pan around custard cups.
Bake on center rack of oven 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
Serve hot, warm or chilled.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

384Calories

21 gProtein

19 gFat

30 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Egg Substitute	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
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.

Nutmeg + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together11,917 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,287 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
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).
Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,655 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

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

Eggs: Set the custard into a tender, sliceable structure as they cook.
Milk: Forms the liquid base that gives the custard its smooth, creamy body.
Sugar: Adds sweetness and softens the set custard's flavor.

The step that matters

Baking in a water bath. Surrounding the cups with hot water moderates the heat reaching the custard, so it sets gently without curdling or becoming rubbery. Checking for doneness with a knife helps avoid overbaking.

“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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Old-fashioned Baked Custard