Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Lemon Pudding
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 base
Mix the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water.
In a saucepan, bring the remaining water to a boil.
Stir in the mixed cornstarch and cook until clear.
Remove from heat, add salt and lemon juice, reserving 4 teaspoons of lemon juice.
Beat the butter until creamy, then gradually mix in the sugar and egg yolk, followed by the milk.
Stir this mixture into the cooked ingredients and pour into a baking dish.
Bake and serve
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes.
Beat the egg white until stiff, then mix in 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar and the reserved lemon juice.
Spread the egg white mixture over the hot pudding and return to the oven until slightly browned.
Serve very cold for best flavor.
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.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Butter + lemontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the cooked liquid into a smooth, sliceable base.
- Egg
- Yolk enriches the base and the white whips into a stable, browned topping.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, softening the texture of the pudding.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the base and balances the tartness of the lemon.
- Lemon juice
- Provides acidity and bright lemon flavor in the base and topping.
The step that matters
Beating the egg white until stiff. Egg whites must be beaten until they hold firm peaks so the topping stays light and airy rather than weeping or sinking into the pudding when it bakes.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, milk, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Coconutfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, 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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