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 ↓
Custard Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Heat the milk in a saucepan until it is nearly boiling.
In a bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until well combined.
Slowly stir the egg mixture into the hot milk, cooking over low heat until it thickens, but do not let it boil.
Dissolve the gelatin in a small amount of warm water, then stir it into the custard mixture.
Add the brandy and vanilla extract, stirring until fully dissolved.
Set and serve
Pour the mixture into a large mold or several small molds.
Chill in the refrigerator until set.
Serve with cold jam sauce or fruit syrup.
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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Gelatin + saucetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together104 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + gelatintop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,778 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Brandy + vanillatop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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
- Eggs
- Thicken the custard as they cook and give it a soft, set structure.
- Gelatin
- Sets the liquid custard into a firm, sliceable pudding when chilled.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard and adds richness and body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and helps balance the eggs and dairy.
The step that matters
Cooking the egg mixture into the milk. Eggs thicken as their proteins set with heat, but if the custard boils the proteins curdle and the texture turns grainy. Cook gently and stir constantly.
“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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