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 ↓
36 Cream Pies
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the custard
Combine sweet milk, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.
Beat the egg yolks and add them one at a time to the hot custard.
Add vanilla to the custard after cooking.
Top and bake
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, then sweeten with sugar.
Spread the meringue over the pies and brown in a 400°F (200°C) oven.
Serve in a baked pie crust.
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.
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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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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Butter + vanillatop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,050 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the milk mixture into a custard that holds its shape when cut.
- Eggs
- Egg yolks enrich and thicken the custard; whites whip into the meringue topping.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, tender texture to the custard.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and helps stabilize the meringue.
The step that matters
Add the egg yolks one at a time to the hot custard. Adding yolks too fast or to a cold mixture can scramble them. Adding them slowly to hot custard, while stirring, gently warms them 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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