Why it works: Corn and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,927 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Lemon Custard
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.
Prepare the custard
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Combine egg yolks, 2 egg whites, sugar, cold water, butter, corn starch, lemon peel, and lemon juice in a bowl and beat the mixture until smooth.
Pour the mixture into custard cups, leaving space at the top.
Top and bake
Whip the remaining egg whites with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
Spread the whipped egg whites smoothly over the custard.
Return the cups to the oven and bake until the top is delicately browned.
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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Corn + lemontop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,927 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Butter + corntop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,345 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + lemontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Egg + buttertop 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
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the custard and add richness as they set with heat.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they form a light, airy topping over the custard.
- Corn starch
- Thickens the liquid base so the custard holds its body when baked.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a smooth, rich texture in the custard.
- Lemon juice
- Provides acidity that gives the custard its bright, tart flavor.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and helps balance the lemon's acidity.
The step that matters
Spreading the whipped egg whites over the custard. Whites must be whipped to stiff peaks and spread smoothly; under-whipped or deflated whites will weep or sink into the custard instead of forming an even topping.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, butter, corn):
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Figfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, butter, corn. 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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