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 ↓
Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the chocolate custard
Rub five tablespoons of Baker's chocolate with a little milk to make a paste.
Heat the milk almost to boiling.
Pour the milk by degrees into the beaten eggs and sugar.
Stir in the chocolate paste.
Beat well for three minutes.
Return the mixture to the inner kettle.
Heat until it thickens well, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
(Optional) Add vanilla flavoring if desired.
Finish and freeze
When the custard is cold, beat in the cream.
Freeze as usual.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Cream + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Eggs
- Thicken the custard as they heat and give the base its rich body.
- Cream
- Adds fat and richness, giving the frozen ice cream a smooth, creamy texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the base and lowers its freezing point for a softer scoop.
- Baker's chocolate
- Provides the chocolate flavor and deep color of the ice cream.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, carrying the eggs, sugar and chocolate.
The step that matters
Heat until it thickens well, stirring constantly. Egg proteins set as the custard heats, and stirring keeps them from clumping or scrambling on the bottom of the pan. Stop heating once it coats a spoon, since overheated eggs turn grainy.
“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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