To Make a Custard Pudding

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.

1. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together81,283 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

2. Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,623 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

3. Butter + white winetop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together5,083 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

4. Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together78,219 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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 yolks

Proteins set as the mixture heats, giving the pudding its body.

Flour

Starch thickens the liquid as it heats, helping the custard hold its shape.

Milk or cream

Provides the liquid base and richness that makes the custard soft and smooth.

Sugar

Adds sweetness to the custard.

The step that matters

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, flour, sugar, milk, butter, white wine):

1. Cinnamonfits about as well
2. Nutmegthe original
3. Tarragonfits less well
4. Capersfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, flour, sugar, milk, butter, white wine. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.