Why it works: Peach and milk work together. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 781 recipes. Both carry phellandrene, which smells minty. The science ↓
Egg-nogg
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Beat the egg yolks until very light.
Stir in the sugar until dissolved.
Gradually pour in the brandy to cook the eggs.
Add flavorings and finish
Add the whiskey and peach brandy.
Stir in the grated nutmeg.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to a froth and gently fold them into the mixture.
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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Peach + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together781 recipes
Shared aroma: phellandrene (minty).
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Peach + nutmegtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together342 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Brandy + peachtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together339 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Nutmeg + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,685 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Brandy + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,311 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the drink and give it a thick, custardy body.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to a froth, they add air and a light, foamy texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the drink and balances the alcohol.
- Whole milk
- Adds liquid and creamy body to the drink.
- Brandy
- Adds flavor and aroma to the drink.
- Grated nutmeg
- Adds warm, aromatic spice.
The step that matters
Fold in the egg whites gently. Whipped egg whites hold air that keeps the eggnog light and foamy. Vigorous stirring deflates the foam, so the whites should be folded in slowly with a spatula.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, brandy, peach, milk):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegthe original
- Gingerfits less well
- Clovefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, brandy, peach, milk. 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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