Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Lemon Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Grate the rind and squeeze the juice of the lemons.
Make the batter
Stir the butter and sugar to a cream.
Add the yolks well beaten.
Add part of the whites beaten to a stiff froth.
Add the milk.
Add the remaining lemon juice.
Bake and serve
Bake in a moderate oven for three-fourths of an hour.
Frost with the remaining whites, stirring in a little sugar, then brown the whole.
Serve cold, without sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| 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.
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Butter + lemontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and set the custard, while beaten whites add lift and a light texture.
- Butter
- Fat creamed with sugar gives the pudding a tender, rich crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and, creamed with butter, helps trap air for a softer texture.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and liquid that helps the pudding stay tender as it bakes.
- Lemons
- Juice brings acidity and rind brings aroma, sharpening the sweetness.
The step that matters
Folding in the stiffly beaten whites. Whites beaten to a stiff froth trap air that gives the pudding lift. Adding them gently keeps that air from deflating, so the pudding bakes up light rather than dense.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, milk, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Coconutfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, milk, 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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