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Dessert

Cornstarch Pudding

A sweet pudding made with eggs, milk, cornstarch, bananas, oranges, and coconut.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Cornstarch Pudding

Why it works: Vanilla and banana are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,430 recipes. Both carry ethyl isobutyrate, which smells fruity, ethereal. The science ↓

Cornstarch Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

Make the custard

  1. Beat the eggs until light.

  2. Add the sweet milk.

  3. Mix the sugar, salt, and cornstarch together.

  4. Add the mixture to the egg mixture.

  5. Place the mixture in a double boiler.

  6. Cook until thick, stirring constantly.

  7. Once thick, remove from heat.

  8. Add vanilla and butter.

Prepare the fruit

  1. Mash the bananas into a pulp.

  2. Squeeze the orange juice into the pulp.

  3. Mix with the sugar.

Mold and serve

  1. Pour into individual molds dipped in cold water.

  2. Once set and cold, place molds on individual dishes.

  3. Sprinkle shredded coconut over each mold.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Vanilla + bananatop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,430 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  2. Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  3. Vanilla + orangetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,371 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  4. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  5. Banana + orangetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,118 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Beaten eggs thicken the custard as they cook and help it set firm.
Cornstarch
Starch thickens the milk mixture as it heats, giving the pudding its body.
Sweet milk
Forms the liquid base of the custard and contributes creaminess.
Bananas
Mashed bananas add moisture, body, and natural sweetness to the pudding.
Oranges
Orange juice adds acidity and bright flavor to the banana pulp.
Butter
Adds fat, richness, and a smoother mouthfeel to the custard.

The step that matters

Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Cornstarch thickens only when heated enough, and constant stirring prevents lumps and scorching on the bottom of the pan while the custard sets.

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, vanilla, milk, butter, sugar, banana):

  1. Figfits better
  2. Peachfits better
  3. Strawberryfits better
  4. Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, vanilla, milk, butter, sugar, banana. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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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