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Dessert

Custard for Pies

Custard for pies is a sweet custard made with milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and optional coconut or chocolate.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Mary Elizabeth Lyles Wilson (1860–1924) · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 9 ingredients
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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 ↓

Custard for Pies

Ingredients

Directions

Make the custard

  1. Heat milk.

  2. Beat yolks very light.

  3. Add sugar and corn starch. Beat again.

  4. Mix with a little hot milk and add to rest of milk.

  5. Cook until thick, stirring all the time.

Bake and serve

  1. Line pan with pastry and bake crust until set.

  2. Pour in custard and bake until brown.

  3. For coconut, add one cup grated coconut.

  4. Add one-fourth pound baker's chocolate and two tablespoons butter to make chocolate custard.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

545Calories
16 gProtein
34 gFat
43 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Mary Elizabeth Lyles Wilson (1860–1924). Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Vanilla + chocolatetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,020 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

  3. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  4. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

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

  5. Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,404 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

Egg yolks
Thicken the custard as they set and add richness and a yellow colour.
Sugar
Sweetens the custard and helps keep it smooth and tender.
Milk
Forms the liquid base that the custard thickens and sets in.
Corn starch (in the method)
Thickens the milk mixture when cooked, giving the custard body.
Baker's chocolate
Adds chocolate flavour and richness to the custard.
Butter
Adds fat for richness and a smoother texture in the chocolate custard.

The step that matters

Cook until thick, stirring all the time. Egg yolks and starch can scorch or curdle on the bottom of the pan if left unstirred. Constant stirring spreads heat evenly so the custard thickens smoothly.

“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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