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 ↓
Custard
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Combine the milk and sugar in a saucepan and heat until warm but do not boil.
Beat the eggs in a bowl and gradually add the warm milk mixture while stirring continuously.
Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract if desired; allow to cool, stirring occasionally.
Serve
Serve warm or chilled.
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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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + sugartop 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
- Eggs
- Egg proteins set on gentle heating, thickening the custard as it cooks.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base and creaminess that the eggs thicken.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps give the custard a smooth, soft texture.
The step that matters
Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat. Egg proteins set at a fairly low temperature, and high heat or boiling can curdle the custard. Constant stirring over low heat spreads the heat evenly and keeps it 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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