Why it works: Milk and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,685 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Egg-xog
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Beat the yolk of an egg with a tablespoonful of sugar. Add about a tablespoonful of brandy, stirring well.
Add a tablespoonful of cream, a little nutmeg, and the beaten egg white last.
Boil a pint of milk. Dissolve one teaspoonful of cornstarch in a little cold milk.
Add to the boiling milk, stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Sweeten and flavor with nutmeg.
Finish cooking
Place the saucepan in a pan of boiling water (double boiler) to finish cooking.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Brandy | not in our table | 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.
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.
-
Milk + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,685 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Brandy + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,311 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolk and white (in the method)
- Set the custard as they heat, giving it body and a tender, creamy texture.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the milk as it boils, giving the custard its body.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that the custard thickens and sets in.
The step that matters
Stir the cornstarch into the boiling milk. Cornstarch must be stirred constantly as it heats, or it clumps and thickens unevenly. Once it reaches a boil and thickens, it holds its body, so the custard stays smooth when stirred steadily.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, brandy):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegthe original
- Clovefits about as well
- Macefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, brandy. 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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