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Custard Fritters

Custard fritters are pieces of set custard, battered and fried until golden.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Margaret Brown · From a historical cookbook (Project Gutenberg) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓

Custard Fritters

Ingredients

Directions

Make the custard

  1. Beat the milk, cream, sugar, and eggs together.

  2. Strain the mixture and put it into a small bowl, then set the bowl in a saucepan with boiling water until the water reaches half way up the sides of the bowl.

  3. Steam very gently until set, about 20 minutes.

  4. Place the set custard on ice until cold.

Fry and serve

  1. Cut the custard into pieces 1‑1⁄2 inches long by 1 square.

  2. Dip the pieces into common batter.

  3. Fry the battered pieces in plenty of hot lard until they reach a deep fawn color.

  4. Serve the fritters sprinkled with sugar.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

327Calories
15 gProtein
19 gFat
26 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49

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

By Margaret Brown. 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. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  2. Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,399 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  3. Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together88,785 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  4. Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together77,875 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together122,807 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Milk and sugar 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
Set the custard, giving it structure once steamed and chilled.
Milk
Forms the liquid base of the custard, giving it a soft, tender body.
Cream
Adds richness and fat, softening the custard's texture.
Sugar
Sweetens the custard and adds a light browning under frying.

The step that matters

Steam very gently until set. High heat or boiling makes egg custard curdle and turn grainy or watery. Gentle steam heat lets the egg proteins set smoothly, so the chilled custard holds its shape when cut and fried.

“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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