Why it works: Milk and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,399 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
★ Jellied Custard
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Dissolve ¼ oz. gelatin in 1 cup water, then add 3 cups rich milk, 2 eggs, and 4-6 tablespoons sugar.
Cook custard, flavor if desired, add gelatin, mold.
Serve
Serve with blueberry, grape or any suitable fruit juice, or with unsweetened cream, plain or whipped.
Alternative method
Cook milk and yolks of eggs together, cool, add gelatin, and pour into whites beaten with sugar, chopping quickly together.
Use ½ cup whipped cream instead of whites of eggs and 2½ cups of milk only.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| 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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Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Egg and cream barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 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
- Gelatin (in the method)
- Sets the liquid custard into a firm, sliceable jelly.
- Eggs
- Thicken the custard and add richness and structure as they cook.
- Milk
- Forms the creamy base of the custard and gives it body.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Sweetens the custard and balances the flavor.
- Whipped cream
- Adds lightness and a soft, airy texture in the alternative version.
The step that matters
Cool the custard before adding the gelatin. Gelatin begins to set as it cools, so the custard should be cool but still liquid before it is folded into the beaten whites. Adding gelatin to a hot mixture can cause it to lose its setting power, and pouring warm liquid into the foam can deflate it.
“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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