Why it works: Cocoa and milk work together. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 643 recipes. Both carry methyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Boiled Cocoa-nut Custard
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Combine a pound grated cocoa-nut, a pint unskimmed milk, and six ounces white sugar.
Beat the yolks of six eggs very lightly.
Gradually stir the beaten yolks into the milk, alternating with the cocoa-nut and sugar.
Pour the mixture into a pitcher, place it in a vessel of boiling water, set it on hot coals, and simmer until very smooth and thick, stirring constantly.
When it reaches a hard boil, remove from heat, pour into a large bowl, and let cool.
Serve
When cooled, pour into glass cups.
Beat the remaining egg whites to stiff peaks and top the custards.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
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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Cocoa + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together643 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + cocoatop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together956 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and milk 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
- Yolks thicken the custard as they cook, while whites whip into a topping.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that the yolks thicken into a custard.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps keep the custard smooth.
- Cocoa-nut
- Adds coconut flavor and body to the custard.
The step that matters
Simmering the custard gently while stirring constantly. Egg yolks can curdle or scramble if overheated, so steady, gentle heat and constant stirring keep the custard smooth as it thickens.
Swap the cocoa
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, milk, egg):
- Pecansfits about as well
- Almondfits about as well
- Cocoathe original
- Walnutfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, milk, 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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