Why it works: Sugar and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Charlotte Russe
Ingredients
Directions
Whip the cream
Whip three pints of cream until stiff.
Add one-half cupful of powdered sugar to the whipped cream and mix.
Soften the gelatin
Sprinkle one tablespoonful of gelatin over cold water and let soften.
Add one-third cupful of boiling water to the softened gelatin, stirring until dissolved.
Combine and set
When the gelatin mixture is cool, strain it into the whipped cream, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
Add one teaspoonful of vanilla to the mixture and stir until thickened.
Line a mold or glass dish with ladyfingers.
Pour the cream mixture into the lined dish and set on ice until serving.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Water | 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.
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. See the original page.
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 + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Cream + vanillatop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,301 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Cream
- Whipped into a stiff foam that gives the dessert its light, airy structure.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the whipped cream and dissolves easily into it.
- Gelatin
- Sets the cream so the dessert holds its shape when chilled.
- Vanilla
- Adds aroma and flavour to the cream.
The step that matters
Cool the gelatin before straining it into the cream. Gelatin mixed in while still warm can melt or deflate the whipped cream's air bubbles. Letting it cool first, then stirring it in steadily, keeps the cream light and helps prevent lumps of gelatin from forming.
“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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