Why it works: Milk and corn are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,955 recipes. Both carry hexanal, which smells green, grassy. The science ↓
Caramel Custard
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Place the milk with the white sugar and salt in a farina kettle over the fire; if you have not such a kettle, a tin pail set in a pot of hot water will answer the purpose.
Beat the eggs without separating in a large bowl, and wet the corn starch with a little cold milk.
Put the brown sugar in a tin pan and set over the fire; stir until it is thoroughly scorched, but not burned.
Make the custard
Turn the scalding milk on the eggs; put the mixture in the kettle again over the fire.
Stir in the corn starch until it thickens.
Stir in the scorched sugar and remove from the fire; then add a generous amount of vanilla.
The scorched sugar falls into the custard in strings, but these will dissolve with vigorous stirring, after removal from the fire.
Serve
Turn into custard glasses and serve cold.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| 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.
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.
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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Milk + corntop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + corntop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,168 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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 as they cook, giving it body and a smooth, tender texture.
- Corn starch
- Thickens the custard so it holds its shape when chilled.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard and carries its richness.
- Brown sugar
- Scorched to a caramel that gives the custard its deep, toasted flavor.
- White sugar
- Sweetens the custard base.
The step that matters
Scorching the brown sugar. Sugar darkens quickly once it starts to caramelize, so it can tip from flavorful to bitter in moments. Stop when it is deep amber and not burned, since the custard will carry any bitterness through.
“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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