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 ↓
Cream Puffs
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Combine butter and boiling water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Stir in the flour while boiling until well combined.
Let the mixture cool slightly, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a buttered baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes.
Make the custard
Heat the milk in a double boiler for the custard.
Mix eggs, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl.
Stir the mixture into the hot milk.
Cook until thickened.
Cool and flavor with vanilla.
Fill and serve
Once the puffs are cool, open them and fill with custard.
Optionally, top with whipped cream.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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
- Flour
- Its starch gelatinizes in boiling water and its proteins set, so the puffs hold their hollow shape.
- Eggs
- Steam from their moisture expands the dough and sets the puff walls; they also help thicken the custard.
- Butter
- Melts into the boiling water, adding richness and a tender crumb.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, adding richness and creaminess.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens when heated, so the custard sets firm enough to fill the puffs.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and balances the richness of the eggs and milk.
The step that matters
Adding the eggs one at a time. Flour starch cooked in boiling water forms a paste that must absorb the eggs gradually. Adding them one at a time and mixing thoroughly keeps the dough smooth and firm enough to hold its shape. If the eggs go in too fast, or the dough is too hot or too wet, it turns runny and the puffs will not rise well in the oven.
“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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