Why it works: Laurel and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 872 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Boiled Custards
Ingredients
Directions
Make the flavored milk
Combine milk, sugar, and lemon rind or flavoring in a lined saucepan.
Let steep by the side of the fire until well flavored.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Strain the mixture into a basin.
Make the custard
Whisk the eggs well.
When the milk has cooled slightly, stir in the eggs.
Strain this mixture into a jug.
Place the jug in a saucepan of boiling water over the fire.
Stir the custard continuously until it thickens, but do not let it boil.
Remove from heat.
Stir in the brandy and mix well.
Serve
Pour into glasses, filling each about three-quarters full.
Grate a little nutmeg over the top 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.
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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Laurel + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together872 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Milk + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,685 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Brandy + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,311 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Milk + laureltop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,339 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Egg proteins set as the custard heats, thickening the liquid into a smooth custard.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that the eggs thicken and that carries the flavour.
- Loaf sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the flavour of the milk and eggs.
- Bay laurel leaves
- Infuse aromatic flavour into the warm milk as it steeps.
- Brandy
- Adds a warm, aromatic flavour stirred in after cooking.
The step that matters
Stir the custard continuously and do not let it boil. Egg proteins thicken gently as they warm; if the custard boils or overheats, the eggs can scramble and curdle, leaving a grainy texture that cannot be smoothed out.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, egg, sugar, laurel, brandy):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegthe original
- Clovefits about as well
- Allspicefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, egg, sugar, laurel, brandy. 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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