Why it works: Orange and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,696 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Orange Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the oranges
Pour 1 cup of sugar over the sliced oranges.
Make the custard
Heat the sweet milk in a double boiler.
Add the beaten egg yolks to the milk, stirring constantly.
Dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold milk.
Add the dissolved cornstarch along with ¼ cup sugar to the mixture.
Cook the mixture well.
Pour the mixture over the oranges.
Top and bake
Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth.
Gradually add 3 tablespoons of sugar to the beaten egg whites.
Spread the beaten egg whites on top of the pudding.
Place the pudding in a 400°F (200°C) oven for a few moments to brown.
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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Orange + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,696 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Orange + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk 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
- Sweet oranges
- Provide the main fruit base and bright citrus flavour under the custard.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the milk mixture into a rich custard as they set with gentle heat.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the custard so it holds its shape when spooned over the oranges.
- Egg whites
- Whip into a stiff foam that forms a light topping and browns in the oven.
- Sweet milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, adding creaminess and body.
The step that matters
Cooking the custard well. Egg yolks and cornstarch must be heated enough to thicken fully, but overheating can curdle the eggs. Stirring constantly in a double boiler keeps the custard smooth and evenly set.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, milk, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Raisinfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, 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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