Why it works: Sugar and orange are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,212 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Orange Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Heat ¾ of the milk with ⅓ of the sugar until boiling.
Stir in slowly the corn starch blended with the remaining cup of milk.
Boil well and cook in a double boiler for 10 minutes.
Add the yolks of eggs beaten with ⅓ cup of sugar.
When well heated through, remove from heat and cool.
Prepare the oranges
Grate the rind from one orange and mix with a little of the remaining sugar.
Prepare orange pulp according to directions on p. 42.
Put the pulp into a glass dish or individual glasses and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
When the custard is cold, turn it over the oranges.
Finish and serve
Just before serving, sprinkle the peel over the custard and pile on it in spoonfuls the whites of the eggs beaten stiff with a speck of salt and powdered sugar.
Serve at once.
Sprinkle meringue with coconut sometimes, or decorate with leaves of angelica or diamonds of citron.
The custard may be delicately flavored with vanilla.
Other fruits may be used.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| 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.
-
Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + orangetop 31% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together10,696 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Sugar and orange barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 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
- Yolks thicken the custard, and whites are beaten stiff to form the topping.
- Corn starch (in the method)
- Starch thickens the milk mixture as it heats, giving the custard body.
- Milk (in the method)
- Forms the liquid base of the custard.
- Oranges
- Provide the fruit pulp and rind, adding sharp citrus flavor and aroma.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and meringue and helps the whites hold their structure.
The step that matters
Cook the custard without scrambling the yolks. Egg yolks thicken the custard only gently; if the mixture boils hard after the yolks are added, they can curdle and leave a grainy texture. Keep heat moderate and stir steadily.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Lemonfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, 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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