Why it works: Vanilla and milk 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 ↓
Caramel Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mold
Melt the sugar in a pan until it turns toffee-brown, then pour it into the bottom of a warm mold.
Butter the sides of the mold.
Make and steam the custard
Beat the eggs and egg yolk, then stir in the milk and vanilla essence.
Pour the mixture into the mold.
Cover with buttered paper and steam in boiling water, ensuring the water comes halfway up the sides, until set: about 1 hour for a large mold, 15 to 20 minutes for small molds.
If any caramel remains in the pan, add boiling water and pour it around the mold.
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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Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Vanilla + sugartop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Vanilla + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,050 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Vanilla and sugar 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 the proteins coagulate with gentle heat.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base and moisture that keeps the custard soft and smooth.
- Castor sugar
- Sweetens the dish and, when melted to toffee-brown, forms the caramel that coats the mold.
- Vanilla essence
- Adds aroma that rounds out the flavour of the custard.
The step that matters
Steaming gently until set. Egg proteins set at moderate heat, so the water should only simmer and come halfway up the mold. A vigorous boil can cause bubbles, holes and a rough texture, while overcooking makes the custard weep and turn grainy.
“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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