Why it works: Sugar and cream 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 ↓
Peach Ice Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Peel and pit one dozen best, ripest red-cheeked peaches, and crush them in a china basin with 6 ounces pulverized sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine 1 quart best cream, 8 ounces white pulverized sugar, 2 whole eggs, and 8 drops almond extract.
Place the mixture over the fire until it reaches the boiling point.
Remove from heat and strain the mixture.
Freeze
Transfer the strained mixture to a freezer and freeze.
When nearly frozen, stir in the peach pulp.
Return to the freezer for a few more turns to harden.
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 |
| 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.
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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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Cream + almondtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,130 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
-
Sugar + almondtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
-
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).
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
- Cream
- Its fat makes the ice cream smooth and rich by keeping ice crystals small.
- Whole eggs
- They add richness and help thicken the custard base as it heats.
- Pulverized sugar
- Sugar adds sweetness and softens the frozen texture by lowering the freezing point.
- Peaches (in the method)
- Peach pulp adds fruit flavor and moisture to the frozen base.
The step that matters
Stirring in the peach pulp when nearly frozen. If the base is fully frozen, the pulp cannot mix in evenly. Stirring while it is still partly liquid distributes the fruit through the cream, and the extra turns then firm it up.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, cream, egg):
- Almondthe original
- Pistachiofits about as well
- Chestnutfits less well
- Pecansfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, 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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