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 ↓
Caramel Custard
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the caramel and custard base
Melt and brown the sugar carefully in a pan.
Scald the milk and add it to the browned sugar.
Beat the eggs slightly, then mix in the vanilla and salt.
Slowly pour the hot milk and sugar mixture over the beaten eggs while stirring.
Strain the mixture.
Bake and serve
Butter some cups or a mold.
Pour the mixture into the cups or mold.
Set the cups or mold in a pan of hot water and bake at 350°F (175°C) until a knife inserted comes out clean.
Serve with caramel sauce.
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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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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Vanilla + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,050 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Egg + buttertop 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
- Eggs
- Set the custard as they cook, giving it a firm, sliceable body.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base and creamy richness of the custard.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and, when browned, adds caramel flavor and color.
The step that matters
Slowly pour the hot milk and sugar mixture over the beaten eggs while stirring. If hot liquid is added too fast, the eggs can scramble instead of blending smoothly. Gradual addition while stirring tempers the eggs so the custard stays smooth and silky.
“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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