Why it works: Coconut and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,294 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Bread Puddings
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Dry stale bread thoroughly and grate it.
In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, cold milk, beaten eggs, sugar, coconut, and vanilla.
Soak for 10 minutes.
Fill cups nearly full with the mixture.
Bake and serve
Place cups in a pan of boiling water and bake in a moderate oven (350°F / 175°C) until firm in the center.
Five minutes before removing, pull the pan to the front of the oven and sprinkle grated chocolate on top, then leave until chocolate melts.
Cool slightly before serving.
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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Coconut + vanillatop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,294 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Vanilla + chocolatetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Coconut + chocolatetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,107 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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 they cook.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid that gives the pudding a soft, moist custard texture.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb the milk and egg mixture, giving the pudding its body.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps balance the eggs and milk.
The step that matters
Bake in water until just firm in the center. The surrounding hot water moderates the oven heat, so the egg custard sets gently. Overbaking causes the eggs to tighten and turn grainy or rubbery.
Swap the coconut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, milk, egg, sugar, vanilla, chocolate):
- Figfits about as well
- Coconutthe original
- Raspberryfits about as well
- Cherryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against bread, milk, egg, sugar, vanilla, chocolate. 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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