Why it works: Milk and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Delmonico Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
In a saucepan, combine one quart milk, three tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in cold water, yolks of five eggs beaten light with six tablespoons sugar.
Boil for three or four minutes until thick, pour into dish and bake for half an hour.
Top and brown
Beat egg whites stiff with six tablespoons sugar; spread on top and brown.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| 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.
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + sugartop 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).
Milk and sugar 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
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, giving it its body and creamy richness.
- Cornstarch (in the method)
- Thickens the milk mixture as it boils, giving the custard its set texture.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich and help set the custard, adding richness and body.
- Egg whites
- Beaten stiff with sugar to form a light topping that browns in the oven.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and helps stabilise the beaten egg white topping.
The step that matters
Boil until thick. Cornstarch only thickens fully once the mixture reaches a boil. Stopping early leaves the custard thin, while boiling too long can make it stiff and grainy.
“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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