Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Almond Custard
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Take a box of jelly powder and 4 tablespoons sugar.
Add 1 pint rich milk.
Prepare the jelly powder.
Add 1 tablespoon bitter almond.
Add 1 cup whipped cream.
Make the custard
Dissolve in one pint of warm, rich milk.
Add two well-beaten eggs, one tablespoon of sugar, and one tablespoon extract of bitter almond.
Add one cup of whipped cream and beat lightly.
Set and serve
Pour into a deep glass dish, and when set place a few blanched almonds or pecans over the top and serve.
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 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
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.
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Almond + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,130 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
-
Milk + almondtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + almondtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Jelly powder (in the method)
- Gelling agent that lets the custard set firm as it cools.
- Eggs
- Add richness and help give the custard body as they thicken with the milk.
- Whipped cream
- Adds richness and a light, soft texture to the custard.
- Rich milk
- Forms the liquid base that the jelly powder dissolves into.
- Sugar
- Provides sweetness that balances the richness of milk and cream.
- Bitter almond extract
- Gives the custard its strong almond aroma and flavour.
The step that matters
Dissolve in one pint of warm, rich milk.. The jelly powder must dissolve completely in the warm milk so it sets evenly; undissolved granules leave gritty or weak patches in the set custard.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, milk, cream, egg):
- Almondthe original
- Pecansfits about as well
- Pistachiofits less well
- Chestnutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, milk, cream, 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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