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 ↓
Charlotte Russe
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Dissolve the gelatine in boiling water until fully dissolved.
Beat the egg yolks in a bowl.
Pour the dissolved gelatine over the egg yolks, stirring quickly.
Strain the mixture into a bowl with the sugar and stir until cool and starting to congeal.
Finish and season
Fold in the whipped cream once the custard is cool.
Season to taste.
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.
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).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Egg and cream 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
- Gelatine
- Sets the liquid custard so it holds its shape when chilled.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken and enrich the custard, adding richness and a smooth body.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the richness of the yolks and cream.
- Rich cream
- Whipped and folded in, it adds lightness, moisture and a creamy texture.
The step that matters
Pouring the dissolved gelatine into the egg yolks. Stirring quickly while pouring spreads the hot liquid through the yolks evenly. This prevents cooked lumps of egg and uneven setting in the custard.
“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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