Name: Caramel Ice Cream, No. 2
Ingredients: 2 lbs. sugar; 1 lb. glucose; 1 cup water; 1½ lbs. almonds; 5 gallons cream; 6 lbs. sugar; 4 oz. dissolved gelatin

Why it works: Cream and gelatin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,628 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓

Caramel Ice Cream, No. 2

Ingredients

Directions

Make the praline

Combine 2 lbs. sugar, 1 lb. glucose, and 1 cup water in a saucepan.
Cook until the mixture reaches 270°F (137°C).
Add 1½ lbs. almonds to the mixture.
Continue cooking until the nuts are well roasted.
Pour the mixture onto a slab and spread it thin.
Once cold, break it up and grind it finely.

Make the cream base

In a large bowl, combine 5 gallons cream, 6 lbs. sugar, and 4 oz. dissolved gelatin.
Strain the mixture into a can.
Add 2 lbs. of the ground almonds to the cream mixture.
Freeze.

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.

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.

Cream + gelatintop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,628 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Sugar + gelatintop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,778 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Almond + creamtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,130 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Sugar + almondtop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,679 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).

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

What each ingredient does

Sugar: Provides sweetness and, when cooked, the caramel flavour and body of the base.
Glucose: Inhibits crystallisation, keeping the sugar smooth and resistant to graining.
Almonds: Roasting adds nutty, toasted flavour and crunch to the finished ice cream.
Cream: Supplies fat for a rich, smooth texture and a creamy mouthfeel.
Gelatin: Stabilises the mixture, giving a firmer body and reducing ice crystal formation.

The step that matters

Cooking the sugar syrup to 270°F (137°C). Sugar syrup must reach the right temperature to set the caramel base and prevent it from crystallising or staying too soft. Cooking past the target darkens and bitters the sugar, so the stage needs close attention.