Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Flan
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the custard
Mix flour with brandy or orange-flower water.
In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and salt.
Add sugar to milk and pour over the egg mixture, stirring continuously.
Bake and finish
Pour the mixture into a buttered tart pan.
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 30 minutes.
Dust with sugar and brown with a broiler 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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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Brandy + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Brandy + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Set the custard into a firm, creamy texture as they cook.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base that the egg yolks thicken into custard.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the top caramelize when browned under a broiler.
- Flour
- Helps stabilize the custard so it holds its body when baked.
The step that matters
Pour the milk and sugar over the eggs while stirring continuously. Adding hot or warm liquid to egg yolks without constant stirring can cause them to scramble into lumps. Steady stirring blends the mixture evenly so it bakes into a smooth custard.
“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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