Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Blancmange
Ingredients
Directions
Make the blancmange
Gradually mix the milk with the corn flour in a stewpan.
Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring.
Add a pinch of salt and the sugar, then flavor with the essence.
Set and serve
Rinse a mold in cold water and pour in the mixture.
Once cold, turn out the blancmange and serve with stewed fruit or fruit pies.
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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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Corn + vanillatop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,943 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Milk + corntop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
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Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,241 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Corn flour
- Thickens the milk as it heats, giving the blancmange its firm, sliceable set.
- Milk
- Forms the body of the dessert and, with the corn flour, sets into a smooth custard.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the mild flavor of the milk.
The step that matters
Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring. Corn flour starch only thickens fully once it boils, and stirring keeps it from settling and scorching on the bottom of the pan. Lumps or a thin set usually mean it was not stirred steadily or brought to a full boil.
“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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