Why it works: Cream and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Terrapin a LA Newburg
Ingredients
Directions
Put in a saucepan one quart of terrapin (prepared as directed, page 312), a half pint of cream, and a tablespoonful of best butter.
Let it cook a few minutes.
Draw it aside, and add the yolks of five eggs beaten with a half pint of cream.
Stir until the eggs are thickened; but do not let it boil, or it will curdle.
Season with salt, white pepper and paprika.
At the moment of serving, add two tablespoonfuls of sherry.
Like all Newburg dishes this must be prepared only just in time to serve, or it will curdle.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sherry + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,505 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Cream + sherrytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,038 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
-
Egg + white peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,312 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Terrapin
- Forms the main body of the dish, giving it its substance and meaty bite.
- Eggs
- Thicken the cream sauce into a smooth custard when gently heated, giving richness.
- Cream
- Makes a rich, smooth sauce that carries the terrapin and combines with the eggs.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness to the sauce, helping it feel smooth on the palate.
- Sherry
- Adds acidity and aroma, brightening the rich sauce just before serving.
The step that matters
Keep the heat low once the eggs go in. Egg yolks thicken smoothly at moderate heat but scramble and curdle if the mixture boils, so the sauce must be stirred gently and kept below a boil.
Swap the white pepper
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, sherry, butter, egg):
- Nutmegfits better
- Tarragonfits better
- Parsleyfits better
- White pepperthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, sherry, butter, 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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