Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Chocolate Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Beat the egg yolks in a basin.
Add the grated chocolate, sugar, and 1 pint of cream. Stir well.
Pour the mixture into a jug and place it in a saucepan of boiling water.
Stir continuously until the mixture thickens, but do not let it boil.
Strain the cream through a sieve into a basin.
Set and chill
Stir in the isinglass and the remaining ½ pint of whipped cream.
Mix everything well and pour into a greased mold.
Chill in ice until ready to serve.
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.
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Chocolate + creamtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,466 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Chocolate + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,448 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptenal (green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the cream as they set gently and add richness to the custard.
- Cream
- Provides moisture and a smooth, rich texture.
- Isinglass
- Gelatin-like setting agent that firms the chilled cream so it holds its shape.
- Grated chocolate
- Adds chocolate flavour and some body to the custard.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the bitterness of the chocolate.
The step that matters
Stir continuously until the mixture thickens, but do not let it boil. Egg yolks thicken gently around 160°F and curdle if overheated, so the custard must be stirred over simmering water and never allowed to boil.
“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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