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 ↓
French Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Whisk 1 cup stiff cream with powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 stiff egg white.
Juice and grate rind of 1 lemon; add 1 cup sugar, yolks of 2 eggs, and 1 cup shredded coconut.
Cook and finish
Beat the eggs with the sugar and lemon; cook 10 minutes in a double boiler, stirring constantly; add the coconut; let cool a little before applying.
Flavor with coffee or fruit if desired.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 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).
-
Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
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).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Cream
- Whipped to stiffness, it adds airy volume and a rich, soft texture.
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken and set as they heat, giving the mixture body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the mixture and helps stabilize the whipped cream and egg whites.
- Lemon
- Juice adds acidity that brightens the sweetness, and the rind adds aroma.
- Coconut (in the method)
- Adds chewy texture and a toasty, sweet coconut flavor.
The step that matters
Cooking the egg, sugar and lemon mixture. Egg proteins set as they heat, so the mixture can curdle or scramble if it gets too hot or is not stirred. Constant stirring over gentle heat in a double boiler keeps it smooth and lets it thicken evenly.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, sugar, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Strawberryfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, sugar, egg. 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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