Why it works: Cream and sugar 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 ↓
Creme-de-menthe Ice Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Combine
Add 1 quart thin cream and 1 egg.
Add 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup crème-de-menthe.
Add sugar and beaten egg to the cream, a speck of salt, and freeze.
Freeze and serve
When frozen, stir into it the crème-de-menthe.
Pack for a while before serving.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
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 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Cream and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 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
- Thin cream
- Provides the fat and body that make the ice cream rich and smooth.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and keeps the frozen texture softer rather than rock hard.
- Egg
- Adds richness and helps bind the mixture into a smooth, creamy base.
- Crème-de-menthe
- Gives the dish its mint flavour and aroma.
The step that matters
Stir in the crème-de-menthe after freezing. Alcohol does not freeze, so too much liqueur keeps the ice cream soft and can make it set poorly. Adding it once the base is frozen lets the mixture firm up while the mint flavour is folded in evenly.
“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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