Why it works: Almond and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,655 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Economical Lemon Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Put the milk into a lined saucepan with the almonds, which should be well pounded in a mortar, the gelatin, lemon rind, and lump sugar, and boil for about 5 minutes.
Beat up the yolks of the eggs and add the eggs to the jug.
Strain the milk into a jug.
Combine and set
Pour the mixture back and forth a few times until nearly cold.
Stir briskly into the strained lemon juice.
Keep stirring until the cream is almost cold.
Do not add lemon juice while the mixture is warm; stir well after adding.
Pour the mixture into an oiled mold and let it set until firm.
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 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
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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Almond + lemontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,655 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + almondtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Lemon and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 44,316 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 base of the cream and provides moisture and body.
- Eggs
- Their proteins set on gentle heating, thickening the cream and giving it richness.
- Lemons
- Add acidity and aroma that balance the sweetness of the cream.
The step that matters
Adding lemon juice to the mixture. Lemon juice added to a hot mixture can curdle the eggs and milk proteins. Letting the mixture cool nearly to cold first, then stirring well, keeps it smooth.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, lemon, egg):
- Milletfits about as well
- Walnutfits about as well
- Peasfits about as well
- Almondthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, lemon, 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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