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 Custard
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the caramel
Melt 2 tablespoons of sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until brown.
Add the hot milk and the remaining sugar to the saucepan, stirring to combine.
Make the custard
Beat the egg and mix it with the cold milk.
Slowly add the egg mixture to the hot milk mixture, stirring continuously.
Pour the mixture into custard cups.
Bake
Place the custard cups in a baking pan filled with water, ensuring the water level is even with the custard.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until the custard is firm.
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
- Egg proteins set when heated, giving the custard its firm, sliceable structure.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base and creaminess that the egg proteins set into custard.
- Sugar
- Melts and browns into caramel for the topping and sweetens the custard.
The step that matters
Adding the egg mixture to the hot milk. Pouring the egg in too quickly or without constant stirring can scramble the eggs into lumps. Adding it slowly while stirring gently tempers the egg so it blends smoothly into the custard.
“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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