Why it works: Egg and milk 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 ↓
Savory Custard
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Beat the egg in a bowl.
Mix in the milk or chicken broth, pepper, and salt.
Strain the mixture into a well-buttered cup.
Steam and serve
Steam the cup until the custard is set.
Turn out the custard and serve.
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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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + peppertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together26,984 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 50,580 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
- Egg
- Provides the protein that sets and firms the custard as it heats, giving it structure.
- Milk or chicken broth
- Adds liquid that dilutes the egg, giving the custard a soft, moist, tender texture.
The step that matters
Steam until just set. Egg proteins firm as they heat and then tighten further. Too much heat or time makes the custard grainy, spongy, or watery as it weeps liquid, so stop once it has just set.
“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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