Why it works: Vanilla and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Marlborough Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the base
Press the stewed apples through a sieve.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl.
Add the milk and vanilla to the egg yolk mixture.
Stir in the hot Cottolene with the pressed apples.
Combine the apple mixture with the egg yolk and milk mixture.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 35 minutes.
Top and serve
Beat the egg whites until frothy, then gradually add 6 tablespoons powdered sugar.
Continue beating until the egg whites hold stiff peaks.
Spread the egg white mixture over the top of the pudding.
Return to the oven for a moment to brown the top.
Serve cold with sugar and cream.
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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Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Apple + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,501 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Vanilla + sugartop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Apple + milktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,104 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
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Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Vanilla and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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 while whites beaten to stiff peaks form the topping.
- Stewed apples
- Provide moisture, body and fruity flavour to the pudding.
- Cottolene
- Adds fat for a tender texture in the baked custard.
- Milk
- Supplies liquid that sets with the egg yolks into a soft custard.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and helps the egg whites stay stable as meringue.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites to stiff peaks. Whites under-beaten stay runny and will not hold a topping; over-beaten they turn grainy and weep. Adding sugar gradually helps the foam stay glossy and stable.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, vanilla, sugar, milk):
- Figfits better
- Peachfits better
- Blueberryfits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, vanilla, sugar, milk. 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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