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 ↓
Cornstarch Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pudding
In a double boiler, heat the water until hot.
Wet the cornstarch with a little cold water, then add the sugar and a pinch of salt.
Cook the mixture for five minutes until thickened.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and stir them into the mixture just before removing from heat.
Pour the mixture into a mold and let it cool.
Make the custard
For the custard, combine the egg yolks, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and milk in a saucepan.
Sweeten to taste and add vanilla extract.
Cook until thickened, then pour around the cooled pudding or serve separately.
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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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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
- Swells in hot liquid and thickens the pudding so it sets.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they add airy lightness to the pudding.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, adding body and creaminess.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to the pudding.
The step that matters
Cook the cornstarch mixture until thickened. Cornstarch only thickens fully when heated long enough in liquid for its starch granules to swell. If it is undercooked, the pudding stays thin and can taste starchy.
“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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