Why it works: Lobster and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,050 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Lobster À LA Delmonico
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the lobster
Remove lobster meat from shell and cut in small cubes.
Make the sauce
Melt butter, then add flour, seasonings, and cream gradually.
Add lobster.
Finish
When heated, add egg yolks and wine.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Shrimp | 100g cooked | 99 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 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.
-
Lobster + creamtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,050 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Nutmeg + creamtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Lobster
- Forms the main body of the dish as cooked meat in a rich sauce.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and carries flavor through the sauce.
- Flour
- Thickens the sauce as its starch swells in the hot butter and cream.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, giving the sauce a smooth, silky body.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich and thicken the sauce as they gently heat, adding body and colour.
- Sherry wine
- Adds acidity and aroma that brighten the rich cream sauce.
The step that matters
Adding the egg yolks when heated. Egg yolks thicken the sauce as they warm, but if the mixture boils they can curdle and turn grainy. Keep the sauce hot, not bubbling, when the yolks go in.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lobster, butter, flour, cream, egg, sherry, wine):
- Nutmegthe original
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Capersfits less well
- Parsleyfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against lobster, butter, flour, cream, egg, sherry, wine. 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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