Why it works: Milk and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Caramel Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Heat the milk in a saucepan until warm.
Whisk the eggs in a bowl until well combined.
Make the custard
Gradually add the warm milk to the eggs, stirring constantly.
Caramelize and combine
Toast the brown sugar over low heat until melted and caramelized, being careful not to burn it.
Stir the toasted sugar into the custard mixture while both are still hot.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked 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 as they cook, giving it structure and a firm, sliceable body.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base and moisture that makes the custard soft and creamy.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and, once caramelized, a deep toasted flavour to the custard.
The step that matters
Caramelizing the brown sugar. Sugar moves from amber to bitter and burnt within seconds at high heat, and burnt sugar cannot be fixed. Low, steady heat and constant attention let it melt and caramelize evenly without scorching.
“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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