Why it works: Orange and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,696 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Orange Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the oranges
Peel and slice the oranges, then lay them in a dish.
Sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the oranges.
Make the custard
In a saucepan, combine the beaten egg yolks, 1 cup of sugar, cornstarch, and boiling milk.
Let the mixture boil and thicken, then cool slightly.
Pour the thickened mixture over the oranges.
Top and bake
Beat the egg whites until stiff and pour them over the pudding.
Set the dish in a 400°F (200°C) oven to brown.
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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Orange + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,696 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Orange + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Oranges
- Provide the fruit base and bright citrus flavor under the custard.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the fruit and the custard, and helps draw out juice from the oranges.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the custard and add richness and a smooth texture.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the milk mixture into a set, spoonable custard.
- Milk
- Forms the body of the custard and adds creaminess.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they form a light topping that browns in the oven.
The step that matters
Let the custard boil and thicken. Cornstarch only thickens fully when the mixture reaches a boil, and the egg yolks must be cooked through without curdling. Stirring constantly keeps the custard smooth.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, milk):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Raisinfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, milk. 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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