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Dessert

Boiled Custards

A custard made by steeping milk with sugar and flavorings, then adding eggs, simmering gently, and finished with brandy and nutmeg.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Boiled Custards

Why it works: Laurel and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 872 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Boiled Custards

Ingredients

Directions

Flavor the milk

  1. Combine the milk and sugar with your choice of flavoring in a lined saucepan.

  2. Let the milk steep over the fire until well flavored, then bring it to a boil.

  3. Strain the milk into a basin.

  4. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl.

  5. Allow the milk to cool slightly.

Make the custard

  1. Stir in the eggs and strain the mixture into a jug.

  2. Place the jug in a saucepan of boiling water and stir continuously until the custard thickens, avoiding boiling.

  3. Remove from heat.

  4. Stir in the brandy and mix well.

Serve

  1. Pour the custard into glasses, filling them about three-quarters full.

  2. Grate nutmeg on top before serving.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Laurel + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together872 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Milk + nutmegtop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,685 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Brandy + nutmegtop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together4,311 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,738 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

  5. Milk + laureltop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,339 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Thicken the custard as they set with gentle heat, giving it body and richness.
Milk
Forms the base of the custard and carries the flavor.
Loaf sugar
Adds sweetness and balances the flavor of the milk and eggs.

The step that matters

Cooking the custard over water without boiling. Egg proteins set gently between about 160 and 180°F; boiling can curdle the eggs and leave the custard grainy. Keeping the heat low and stirring constantly lets the custard thicken smoothly.

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, egg, sugar, laurel, brandy):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Nutmegthe original
  3. Clovefits about as well
  4. Allspicefits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against milk, egg, sugar, laurel, brandy. 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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