Custard Pudding

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.

1. Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together41,516 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

2. Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,623 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

3. Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together43,450 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

4. Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Cream + nutmegtop 13% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together7,920 recipes

   Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

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

Egg yolks

Set the custard as it bakes and add richness and a smooth texture.

Cream or whole milk

Provides the liquid base and fat that give the custard its creamy texture.

Flour

Thickens the custard slightly and helps it hold its shape when baked.

Butter

Adds fat for richness and a silky mouthfeel.

Puff pastry

Forms a crisp, browned case that holds the liquid custard while baking.

The step that matters

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, cream, egg, brandy, butter, sugar):

1. Nutmegthe original
2. Cinnamonfits about as well
3. Capersfits less well
4. Tarragonfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, cream, egg, brandy, butter, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.