Why it works: Lemon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,318 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Custard Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the custard base
Simmer the milk with the lemon rind and bay leaf for about 20 minutes.
Remove the lemon rind and bay leaf, then add the butter and sugar.
Mix the flour smoothly with a little cold milk or water, then pour it into the saucepan.
Stir until it boils, then cook for 5 minutes and let it cool slightly.
Bake
Beat the eggs and add them to the mixture, then pour into a buttered pie dish.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) for about 40 minutes, or until set.
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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Lemon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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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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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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 as they cook, giving it a firm, sliceable structure.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, providing moisture and body.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk when stirred and boiled, giving the custard body.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, tender mouthfeel to the custard.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and adds to its flavour.
The step that matters
Bake until just set. Eggs set as they heat and will curdle or turn grainy if overbaked. Baking gently in a slow oven and stopping once the custard firms keeps it smooth and tender.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, sugar, flour, butter, egg, nutmeg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, sugar, flour, butter, egg, nutmeg. 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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