Why it works: Lemon and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,655 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Very Good Old-fashioned Boiled Custard
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the milk
Combine 1½ pints of new milk and the thin rind of a fresh lemon in a saucepan.
Let the mixture infuse for 30 minutes.
Simmer the milk and lemon rind together for a few minutes.
Add 4½ ounces of white sugar.
Make the custard
Beat the yolks of 14 eggs in a bowl.
Mix the beaten yolks with ½ pint of new milk.
Stir the boiling milk quickly into the egg mixture.
Remove the lemon peel.
Pour the custard into a deep jug and place it over boiling water in a pan.
Stir the custard gently and continuously until it begins to thicken.
Once thickened, stir more quickly, ensuring the spoon touches the bottom of the jug.
Remove from heat just before boiling to prevent curdling.
Finish and serve
Pour the custard into a bowl and stir until nearly cold.
Gradually add ⅓ cup of brandy and 2 ounces of blanched almonds, if desired.
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.
-
Lemon + almondtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,655 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Milk + almondtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Brandy + almondtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,969 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the custard as they set with gentle heat, giving it body and richness.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard and carries the flavour of the lemon rind.
- White sugar
- Sweetens the custard and balances the richness of the yolks.
The step that matters
Stirring the custard over simmering water. Egg yolks thicken gently at low heat; if the custard gets too hot or is not stirred constantly, the proteins can scramble and curdle. Removing it just before boiling protects its smooth texture.
Swap the almond
The recipe marks almond as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, lemon, sugar, egg, brandy):
- Almondthe original
- Walnutfits about as well
- Chestnutfits less well
- Pistachiofits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, lemon, sugar, egg, brandy. 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.
More boiled custard recipes
You might also like
Lemon Cake228 recipes
Lemon Ice147 recipes
Lemon Sherbet103 recipes
Brandy Peaches68 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.