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 base
Dissolve the gelatine in the cold milk and let it stand for 30 minutes.
Heat the mixture in a saucepan, stirring until the gelatine is fully melted, then set aside.
Beat the egg yolks and mix in the powdered sugar.
Combine the egg mixture with the dissolved gelatine and milk, then return to heat and stir until thickened.
Whip and mould
Pour the mixture into a bowl and whip the heavy cream, folding in the foam until fully incorporated.
Pour the mixture into molds lined with sponge cake or ladyfingers.
Freeze and serve
For best results, place the molds in a tub surrounded by finely crushed ice or snow and salt to freeze the cream.
Use fresh cream and serve within 24 hours.
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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Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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 milk and egg mixture so the dessert holds its shape when unmoulded.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the custard and add richness and colour to the mixture.
- Heavy cream
- Whipped into the mixture to add lightness, body and a rich texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the custard and dissolves smoothly into the egg yolks.
- Sponge cake or ladyfingers
- Lines the molds, giving a soft, absorbent base and structure around the set filling.
The step that matters
Thickening the custard over heat. Egg yolks thicken when heated gently but can scramble if they get too hot, leaving lumps and a grainy texture. Stir constantly and keep the heat low until the mixture coats a spoon.
“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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