Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 19,187 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Her Majesty’s Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard base
Infuse the vanilla in the milk by simmering for 20 minutes, then strain.
Combine the strained milk with cream and sugar in a saucepan and heat until boiling.
Gradually pour the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, stirring constantly to prevent curdling.
Cook and serve
Pour the mixture into a well-buttered mold and boil gently for 1 hour.
Let the pudding stand for at least 4 minutes before turning it out.
Serve garnished with preserved barberries or a rich 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.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Sugar + syruptop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,842 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Vanilla + sugartop 8% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Vanilla and sugar share little aroma chemistry, yet 35,032 recipes mention both: they likely 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 and add richness and structure as they cook.
- Cream
- Adds fat and richness, giving the pudding a smooth, soft texture.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard and carries the vanilla flavour.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and adds to its tender texture.
The step that matters
Pour the hot milk into the yolks gradually. Adding hot liquid to egg yolks too quickly cooks them unevenly and causes curdling. Pouring slowly while stirring constantly tempers the yolks so the custard stays smooth.
“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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