Name: Caramel Ice Cream, No. 2
Ingredients: 2 lbs. sugar; 1 lb. glucose; 1 pt. 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

The book gives no oven temperature. The 270°F (132°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Make the praline

Combine 2 lbs. sugar, 1 lb. glucose, and 1 pint water in a saucepan.
Cook until it reaches 270°F (132°C).
Add 1.5 lbs. almonds to the saucepan and 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 the broken pieces finely.

Make the ice cream

In a large bowl, combine 5 gallons cream, 6 lbs. sugar, and 4 oz. dissolved gelatin.
Strain this 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

Cream: Provides fat and richness, giving the frozen ice cream a smooth, creamy texture.
Sugar: Sweetens the base and lowers the freezing point, keeping the ice cream softer and scoopable.
Glucose: Inhibits sugar crystallisation, helping the caramel stay smooth and glossy.
Almonds: Add roasted, nutty flavour and crunch from the praline pieces.
Gelatin: Stabilises the mixture, adding body and helping it hold a smooth texture when frozen.

The step that matters

Cooking the sugar, glucose and water to 270°F (132°C). Sugar syrup that is taken too far darkens and turns bitter, while stopping too early leaves it soft and sticky. Hitting the target temperature sets the caramel flavour and the right brittle texture after cooling.