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 ↓
Syllabubs and Whips
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
Combine one quart of sweet cream, a half-pint of white wine, and three fourths of a pound of pulverized sugar.
Beat the mixture with a whisk.
Make the froth
Remove the cream that rises to the top and lay it on a thin muslin over a sieve.
When the mixture has whisked to froth, drain the froth and add it to the remaining mixture.
Grate a little nutmeg into the mixture.
Serve
Half fill glasses, placing the froth on top.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
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).
-
Cream + nutmegtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Sugar + nutmegtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together23,364 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Sugar and nutmeg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 23,364 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
- Sweet cream
- Forms the body and whips into a rich, airy froth.
- White wine (in the method)
- Adds acidity and a light, lively flavour that cuts the richness.
- Pulverized sugar
- Sweetens the mixture and balances the acidity of the wine.
- Nutmeg
- Adds a warm aroma to the cream.
The step that matters
Draining the froth. Whisking traps air in the cream's fat and proteins, forming a foam. Draining only the froth, rather than the liquid beneath it, keeps the light foam intact for the topping.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, sugar):
- Nutmegthe original
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Gingerfits less well
- Peppermintfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, sugar. 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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