Name: Orange Pudding
Ingredients: one quart of milk; 3 tablespoons of cornstarch; 1 cup of white sugar; 1 quart of milk; 1 cup of sugar; 2 teaspoons of cornstarch; 1 pint of milk sweet- ened; 3 tablespoons of sugar; 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar; 1 cup of boiling pine-apple juice; 1 quart of cream stiff; 1 teaspoon of vanilla; 1 teaspoon orange; 1 cup of solid pine-apple chopped fine; one-half pound of nice prunes; 1 pint of whipped cream; one cup of prunes after they have been cooked; 3 tablespoons of tapioca to soak over night in luke-warm water; 5 tablespoons of sugar; one cup of sweet milk; 1 teaspoon of tapioca before soak- ing; 14 teaspoon of vanilla; three tablespoons of tapioca; a pinch of salt; 3 eggs ! a little salt; 1 orange; 4 oranges; four sweet oranges; 3 eggs; 1 small cup of sugar

Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

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 + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Vanilla + orangetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,371 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Apple + orangetop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,230 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Apple + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,501 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Milk: Forms the liquid base of the custard that sets when thickened and cooled.
Cornstarch: Thickens the milk into a smooth custard as it heats.
Eggs: Add richness and help thicken the custard; whites whip into the meringue topping.
Sugar: Sweetens the custard and oranges and helps the meringue stay stable.
Oranges: Provide the fresh citrus flavor and acidity that cuts the sweetness.

The step that matters

Boil until thick as custard. Cornstarch only thickens fully when the mixture reaches a boil, and it can scorch if stirred poorly on the heat. Undercooked starch leaves the custard thin, while the eggs need gentle heat to thicken without curdling.

Swap the apple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, sugar, pine, cream, vanilla, orange, egg):

Figfits better
Coconutfits better
Lemonfits better
Applethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against milk, sugar, pine, cream, vanilla, orange, 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Sweet Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Prune	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0

Orange Pudding

Orange Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

Make the custard

Assemble and top

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)