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 ↓
Hungarian Caffe
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Prepare a pint of very strong black coffee, flavoring it with a few drops of almond extract.
Strain and place the coffee in a double boiler.
Combine the coffee with two well beaten eggs, two tablespoons of sugar, and four tablespoons of thick cream when just at the boiling point.
Cook until the custard coats the back of a spoon.
Finish and serve
When the custard is perfectly cold, fold in a cup of sweetened whipped cream.
Add a quart of ice cold effervescent water and a pint of shaved ice.
Serve in tall sherbet glasses.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
| Coffee | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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).
-
Coffee + almondtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together374 recipes
Shared aroma: acetylpyrazine (roast).
-
Almond + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,130 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
-
Coffee + creamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,339 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
-
Coffee + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,344 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Very strong black coffee
- Provides the strong coffee flavor that the custard is built on.
- Eggs
- Proteins set as they heat, thickening the coffee mixture into a custard.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the bitterness of strong coffee.
- Sweetened whipped cream
- Trapped air and fat make the chilled custard light and creamy.
- Shaved ice
- Chills the drink quickly and dilutes it slightly as it melts.
The step that matters
Cooking the custard until it coats a spoon. Egg proteins set as they heat, thickening the mixture. Too much heat, or boiling, can scramble the eggs and make the custard grainy, so it should be cooked gently in a double boiler and stirred until it coats the back of a spoon.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (coffee, egg, sugar, cream):
- Hazelnutfits about as well
- Cocoafits about as well
- Almondthe original
- Nutsfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against coffee, egg, sugar, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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