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 ↓
Vanilla Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard base
Combine one pint of sugar, one pint of water, three pints of cream not too rich, the yolks of five eggs, and one large tablespoonful of vanilla extract.
Boil the sugar and water together for twenty-five minutes.
Beat the yolks of the eggs with one-fourth of a teaspoonful of salt.
Place the basin of boiling syrup in another basin of boiling water.
Stir the yolks of the eggs into the syrup, and beat rapidly for three minutes.
Take the basin from the fire, place it in a pan of ice water, and beat until cold.
Finish and freeze
Add the vanilla and cream, and freeze.
When cold add one quart of cream.
Strain the mixture into the freezer and freeze.
Method notes
Use Boston Crystal Gelatine.
Make the hot mixture as for vanilla.
Put the small cupful of sugar in a small frying pan, and stir over the fire until the sugar turns liquid and begins to smoke.
Turn into the boiling mixture and put away to cool.
Vary the flavor by browning the sugar more or less.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Ice 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.
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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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
- Sugar
- Sweetens the base and, when browned, adds caramel flavor.
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken the custard and add richness to the ice cream.
- Cream
- Supplies fat that gives the frozen ice cream a smooth, rich texture.
The step that matters
Stirring the yolks into the hot syrup. Egg yolks can scramble if they meet very hot syrup too quickly. Beating rapidly while adding them keeps the custard smooth and lets the yolks thicken gently.
“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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