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 ↓
Victoria Cold Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Brown 2 tablespoons sugar over the fire, stirring all the time.
Beat together the yolks of 6 eggs, a pint of milk, and a pinch of salt.
Add 5 ounces of sugar.
Pour all into brown sugar and heat over the fire until it almost comes to a boil.
Add the gelatine and cream
Take an ounce of gelatine, dissolve it in 1/2 cup water, and strain it into a pint of cream.
Beat it well for 5 minutes and pour it into the cooled mixture, stirring all the time.
Layer and set
Have the mold ready, cover the bottom with a layer of ladyfingers and macaroons, and pour on some of the mixture.
Then again ladyfingers and macaroons and some of the mixture.
Repeat until all is used up.
Do this quickly, as it sets quickly.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
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 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | 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.
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk 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
- Yolks thicken the custard as they heat, giving it a rich, set body.
- Gelatine
- Sets the cooled mixture so it holds its shape when turned out and sliced.
- Cream
- Adds richness and a soft, smooth texture to the set pudding.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard, and browning part of it adds a deeper caramel flavour.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, adding creaminess and body.
- Ladyfingers and macaroons (in the method)
- Soft, absorbent layers that hold the custard and give the pudding structure.
The step that matters
Pour the gelatine mixture in while the custard is cooled. Gelatine sets as it cools, so the custard must be cool enough not to melt or thin the gelatine, yet still fluid enough to mix evenly. Stirring constantly prevents lumps and uneven setting. Work quickly once combined, because the mixture sets fast.
“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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