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Dessert

Corn-starch Chocolates

A chocolate custard thickened with cornstarch, served in small cups.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Mary Ronald · From a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Vanilla and milk 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 ↓

Corn-starch Chocolates

Ingredients

Directions

Make the custard

  1. Scald a pint of milk and four tablespoonfuls of sugar.

  2. Add an ounce of chocolate shaved thin, so it will dissolve quickly.

  3. Add two heaping tablespoonfuls of cornstarch which has been diluted with a little of the cold milk.

  4. Stir over the fire until the mixture is thickened.

  5. Add a half teaspoonful of vanilla.

Set and serve

  1. Turn it into small cups to cool and harden.

  2. Unmold the forms when ready to serve, and use sweetened milk for a sauce.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

365Calories
9 gProtein
17 gFat
42 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12

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

By Mary Ronald. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg).

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

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

  4. Vanilla + corntop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,943 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  5. Milk + corntop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,955 recipes

    Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).

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

Cornstarch (in the method)
Thickens the milk mixture as it heats, giving the custard its body and set.
Chocolate
Adds the main flavor and color, and helps the custard firm as it cools.
Milk
Forms the liquid base of the custard that the starch thickens.
Sugar
Sweetens the custard and balances the bitterness of the chocolate.

The step that matters

Stir over the fire until thickened. Cornstarch only thickens fully when the mixture is heated to a simmer while stirred. Stopping early leaves it thin, and scorching on the bottom of the pan can happen if it is not stirred constantly.

“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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