Why it works: Lemon and corn are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,927 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Orange Float
Ingredients
Directions
Make the lemon custard base
Bring one quart of water to a boil.
Add the juice and pulp of two lemons and one coffee cup sugar.
When boiling, add four tablespoons of corn starch and let boil fifteen minutes, stirring all the time.
Assemble and finish
When cold, pour the mixture over four or five peeled and sliced oranges.
Spread the beaten whites of three eggs over the top.
Sweeten and add a few drops of vanilla.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| 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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Lemon + corntop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,927 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Coffee + corntop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together247 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Coffee + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,344 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Corn starch
- Thickens the boiled liquid into a smooth, set mixture.
- Eggs
- Beaten whites form a light topping over the float.
- Lemons
- Juice and pulp add tartness that balances the sugar.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the mixture and adds body to the liquid.
- Oranges (in the method)
- Peeled, sliced fruit forms the base layer of the dish.
The step that matters
Stirring while the starch boils. Corn starch can settle and scorch on the bottom of the pan if not stirred constantly. Starch granules must be fully boiled to thicken properly and lose their raw starchy taste, so keep stirring through the full fifteen minutes.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (coffee, sugar, corn, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Raisinfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against coffee, sugar, corn, 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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