Why it works: Brandy and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,738 recipes. Both carry gamma-nonanolactone, which smells coconut, sweet. The science ↓
Frozen Egg Nog in Egg Cups
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
Beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon colored.
Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat.
Mix in the salt, brandy, and milk.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the mixture.
Freeze and serve
Freeze the mixture until solid.
Serve each portion in an egg shell placed in a half lemon peel for stability.
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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Brandy + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Egg + brandytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Brandy + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the custard-like base, adding richness, body and a smooth texture.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they add air and a lighter, airy texture to the frozen mixture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and lowers the freezing point, keeping the frozen texture softer.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base and creaminess for the mixture.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavor, and its alcohol also lowers the freezing point for a softer set.
The step that matters
Fold in the beaten egg whites. Folding gently keeps the air beaten into the whites. Stirring vigorously deflates the foam, which makes the frozen result denser and less light.
“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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