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 ↓
Baked Custard
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the custard
Beat five fresh eggs, the whites and yolks separately, the yolks with half a cup of sugar, the whites to a stiff froth.
Stir them gradually into a quart of sweet rich milk previously boiled and cooled.
Flavor with extract of lemon or vanilla and half a teaspoonful of salt.
Bake and serve
Rub butter over the bottom and sides of a baking-dish or tin basin.
Pour in the custard, grate a little nutmeg over and bake in a quick oven.
Set the dish in a shallow pan of hot water reaching nearly to the top, keep the water boiling until the custard is baked; about three-quarters of an hour is generally enough.
Run a teaspoon handle into the middle of it; if it comes out clean it is baked sufficiently.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Eggs | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 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.
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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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
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
- Whipped whites add lift, and the yolks set the custard into a tender, sliceable structure.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base that the eggs thicken into a smooth, creamy custard.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and softens the set texture of the egg proteins.
The step that matters
Baking in a water bath. Keeping the custard surrounded by gently boiling water moderates the heat so the egg proteins set evenly without curdling or turning rubbery. Testing with a knife or teaspoon handle shows when the centre has set.
“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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