Why it works: Brandy and orange are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,706 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Orange Creams
8 creamsIngredients
Directions
Make the custard
Boil the rind of the Seville orange until tender, and beat it in a mortar to a pulp.
Add the brandy, the strained juice of the orange, and the sugar to the pulp, and beat all together for about 10 minutes, adding the well-beaten yolks of eggs.
Bring the cream to the boiling point, and pour it very gradually into the other ingredients, beating the mixture until nearly cold.
Set and garnish
Put the mixture into custard cups, place the cups in a deep dish of boiling water, and let them remain until quite cold.
Take the cups out of the water, wipe them, and garnish the tops of the creams with candied orange peel or preserved chips.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Brandy | 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.
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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Brandy + orangetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,706 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Brandy + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,635 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
-
Brandy + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
-
Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Cream + orangetop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,170 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Cream and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 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
- Yolks thicken the custard and give it a rich, set structure when gently combined.
- Cream
- Adds fat and richness, giving the custard a smooth, soft texture.
- Isinglass
- A setting agent that helps the creams hold their firm shape as they cool.
- Seville orange
- Its juice and rind supply the sharp, bitter citrus acidity and aroma that flavour the custard.
- Brandy
- Adds a warm aroma and depth of flavour to the orange custard.
The step that matters
Pour the hot cream in gradually. Adding the boiling cream slowly while beating keeps the egg yolks from heating too fast and scrambling. Gradual mixing gives a smooth, evenly thickened custard.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (brandy, cream, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raspberryfits better
- Strawberryfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against brandy, cream, 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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