Why it works: Milk and egg 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 ↓
CRiME Au Caramel
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the caramel and custard
Melt the brown sugar in a frying pan until liquid.
Slowly add the melted sugar to the boiling milk, stirring constantly.
In a bowl, beat the eggs.
Gradually stir the boiling milk into the eggs, mixing briskly.
Fill and bake
Prepare small custard cups in a baking pan.
Strain the custard mixture into the cups.
Fill the baking pan with boiling water to half the height of the cups.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, until set but not hard.
Cool and serve
Let cool; serve very cold.
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.
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
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
- Eggs
- Set the custard into a firm, sliceable structure as the proteins coagulate when heated.
- Milk
- Supplies the liquid base and richness that gives the custard its smooth, soft body.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and, once melted, a deeper caramel flavour to the custard.
The step that matters
Bake only until set but not hard. Egg proteins set as they heat, and if they keep heating they tighten and squeeze out water, leaving the custard grainy or watery. The water bath keeps the heat gentle so the edges do not overcook before the centre sets.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.