Why it works: Lemon and orange match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Lemon or Orange Filling
Ingredients
Directions
Make the lemon filling
Mix the juice and grated rind of one lemon with one cup of sugar, the beaten yolks of two eggs, two tablespoonfuls of milk, and a speck of salt.
Cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly until it thickens.
Spread when cold.
Make the orange filling
To make orange filling, use the grated rind and juice of one orange and two teaspoons of lemon juice.
Make the same as lemon filling.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
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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Lemon + orangetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,634 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + orangetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,696 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and body to the filling.
- Eggs
- Their yolks thicken the filling as it cooks and give it a rich texture.
- Lemon
- Provides the acidity and aroma that flavour the filling.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and softness to the filling.
The step that matters
Cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly until it thickens. Egg yolks can curdle or scramble if they get too hot. A double boiler spreads gentle heat, and constant stirring keeps the yolks evenly warmed so the filling thickens smoothly.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, milk, lemon, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Orangethe original
- Figfits about as well
- Blueberryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, milk, lemon, egg. 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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