Name: Queen of Puddings
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 cups milk; 3 oz (½ cup / 85 g ) white sugar; Zest of 1 lemon; 2 oz (4 Tbsp / 55 g) butter; 6 oz (about 4 cups / 170 g) freshly-grated bread crumbs; 4 eggs , separated; 4 Tbsp raspberry jam , or jam of choice; 2 Tbsp vanilla sugar

Why it works: Raspberry and vanilla work together. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 950 recipes. Both carry ethyl benzoate, which smells fruity, sweet. The science ↓

Queen of Puddings

Serves 4

Oven350°F (180°C)

Time35 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups milk
3 oz (½ cup / 85 g ) white sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 oz (4 Tbsp / 55 g) butter
6 oz (about 4 cups / 170 g) freshly-grated bread crumbs
4 eggs , separated
4 Tbsp raspberry jam , or jam of choice
2 Tbsp vanilla sugar

Directions

Make the custard base

Heat the milk, sugar, lemon zest and butter until just below the boil.
Pour onto the bread crumbs and allow the whole to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
Beat the egg yolks and stir into the bread crumb and milk mixture.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Add the meringue and serve

Spread the top with the warmed jam, being careful not to break the surface of the pudding.
Whip the egg whites with the vanilla sugar and a few drops of lemon juice until the mixture reaches soft peaks.
Spread the meringue over the top of the pudding. Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the meringue has browned.
Serve as is or with crème anglaise.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

921Calories

29 gProtein

27 gFat

140 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Raspberry	1 cup (123g)	64
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12

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 Wikibooks Cookbook.

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.

Raspberry + vanillatop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together950 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl benzoate (fruity, sweet).
Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,232 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Lemon + raspberrytop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,109 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Bread crumbs: Provide the bulk and structure that the custard sets around.
Eggs: Egg yolks set the custard, while whipped whites form the light meringue topping.
Milk: Supplies liquid that softens the crumbs and forms the creamy custard body.
Butter: Adds fat for richness and a tender, smooth texture in the custard.
White sugar: Sweetens the custard and helps the meringue brown in the oven.
Raspberry jam: Adds fruity sweetness and acidity that contrasts with the rich custard.

The step that matters

Folding the jam under the meringue. Spread the jam gently so the surface of the custard stays intact; breaking it lets the jam sink and makes the pudding watery. Whites whipped to soft peaks hold their shape better when the sugar is fully dissolved, so the meringue stays glossy and bakes evenly.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, sugar, butter, bread, egg, raspberry, vanilla):

Peachfits better
Figfits better
Blackberryfits better
Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against milk, sugar, butter, bread, egg, raspberry, vanilla. 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.

Lemon Cake228 recipes

Bread Pudding153 recipes

Raspberry Jam150 recipes

Lemon Ice147 recipes

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Queen of Puddings