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 ↓
Tomato Cream--Fine
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Mix sugar and flour.
Pour boiling milk over.
Add boiling tomato and boil up.
Add salt and yolks of eggs, then cook.
Add vanilla.
Bake and finish
Put in baked crust and make meringue.
Use a little more flour when pie is to be eaten the day it is made.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| 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.
-
Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,241 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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
- Flour
- Starch thickens the custard so it holds its shape when cut.
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken the custard as they set with heat and add richness.
- Milk
- Adds richness and a smooth, creamy body to the custard.
- Strained tomato
- Forms the main flavour base and adds a light acidity.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and balances the tomato's acidity.
The step that matters
Cooking after the egg yolks are added. Egg yolk proteins set when heated, which is what thickens the custard. Cook gently and keep stirring so the yolks thicken smoothly instead of scrambling or curdling.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, flour, egg, vanilla, milk):
- Arrowrootfits better
- Sweet potatofits better
- Beetrootfits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, flour, egg, vanilla, milk. 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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