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 ↓
Caramel Ice Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Heat one quart of milk in a double boiler.
Mix one-half cup of flour and one cup of granulated sugar thoroughly.
Stir the mixture into the milk before it becomes too hot.
When the mixture thickens, set it aside to cool.
Add three beaten eggs to the cooled mixture.
Add the caramel and finish
Brown one and one-half cups of granulated sugar in a skillet, stirring just enough to prevent burning.
When the caramel is melted, pour it into the custard, beating hard while pouring.
When the custard is cool, add one quart of cream and flavor with vanilla.
Freeze the mixture.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
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.
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Milk and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard that the ice cream is built on.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk mixture so the custard becomes creamy and stable.
- Eggs
- Set with gentle heat to add richness and body to the custard.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the custard and, browned in a skillet, provides the caramel flavor.
- Cream
- Adds fat for a smooth, rich texture in the frozen ice cream.
The step that matters
Browning the sugar for the caramel. Sugar burns quickly once it darkens, and burnt caramel turns bitter. Stirring just enough to prevent burning, and removing it from heat once melted and amber, keeps the flavor sweet and nutty.
“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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