Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Custard

Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers custard's optimal flavour pairings.

Custard immediately conjures the embrace of vanilla and the bracing kiss of lactic acid, but beneath its sweet surface lies a nuanced symphony of subtle flavour notes: milk, butter, and even hints of caramel, contributing remarkable depth. Understanding how these layered flavours work together is the secret to unlocking custard's pairing potential.

To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our exploration reveals, for instance, how the fruity, sweet gamma-decalactone in cherry purée can perfume custard, and how cocoa powder's theobromine notes forge a beautiful synergy with its creamy tanginess.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. nectarous, floral, and acidic) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.

The Flavour Code

To understand exactly which flavours harmonise, we compiled a database of over 50,000 ingredient pairings commonly used in cooking. We then analysed these pairings, identifying the specific flavour notes that frequently appear together.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Lactic Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of lactic acid is strongly associated with the flavour of cocoa. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a cocoa flavour, such as cocoa powder, when pairing with the lactic acid aroma accents of custard.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing custard with cocoa powder.

Harmonious Flavours Of Custard

Just as our analysis revealed that lactic acid and cocoa flavour notes are harmonious, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavours present in custard. E.g. the buttery notes of custard are often used with plum-like and astringent notes.

The notes linked to the various accents of custard can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of cherry purée offers many of the aroma notes complementary to custard, including plum and almond aromas. Because the flavour profile of cherry purée has many of the of the features that are complementary to custard, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of cherry purée across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with custard.

Recipes That Pair Custard With Cherry Purée

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aroma accents that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of custard, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of custard, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the aromas complementary to custard.

What To Drink With Custard

The graphite notes in faugères make it a perfect pairing with custard. Likewise, the graphite flavours in pomerol create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of custard below.

Which Fruit Go With Custard?

Choose fruit that cut through its creaminess or embrace its sweet aroma. Cherry purée and cherry preserve offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Dried cherry add a gentle, oniony brightness, while black cherry introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace fruit that harmonise with custard's tanginess. The addition of griottine cherry, with its subtle brambly notes, can complement the lactic acid beautifully, while blackberry lends a juicy aroma.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Custard), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.