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 ↓
Coffee Ice Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Combine three pints cream, one cup black coffee, two cups sugar, and two tablespoonsful of arrowroot wet with cold milk.
Heat a pint and a half of the cream nearly to boiling.
Stir in the sugar, and, when this is melted, the coffee, then the arrowroot.
Boil all together for five minutes, stirring constantly.
Whip and freeze
When cold beat it up very light, whipping in the rest of the cream by degrees. Then freeze.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 4 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Coffee | not in our table | 0 |
| Arrowroot | not in our table | 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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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Cream + coffeetop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,339 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
-
Coffee + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,344 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Coffee + arrowroottop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
-
Sugar + arrowroottop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,073 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cream
- Its fat gives the ice cream richness and a smooth, creamy texture.
- Black coffee
- Provides the main coffee flavour of the dish.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and keeps the frozen texture softer.
- Arrowroot
- Starch that thickens the mixture when boiled, giving body and a smooth texture.
The step that matters
Boil all together for five minutes, stirring constantly. Arrowroot is a starch that must reach a boil to thicken fully, and constant stirring keeps the mixture from scorching on the bottom of the pan.
Swap the arrowroot
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, coffee, sugar):
- Potatofits better
- Sweet potatofits about as well
- Arrowrootthe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, coffee, 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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