Why it works: Raisin and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,781 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓
Kentucky Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Make a rich boiled custard and sweeten to taste.
Dissolve gelatin in cold milk and add to the custard.
Let the custard cool, then place it in a freezer.
Freeze and finish
As soon as it begins to freeze, add raisins, strawberry preserves, and whipped cream.
Stir and beat well until it has the consistency of ice cream.
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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Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,781 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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Gelatin + creamtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,628 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Sugar + gelatintop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,778 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Strawberry + almondtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gelatin
- Sets the custard so the frozen dessert holds a smooth, firm texture.
- Whipped cream
- Adds air and richness, giving a lighter, creamier texture to the frozen mixture.
- Raisins
- Add chewy texture and natural sweetness throughout the dessert.
- Strawberry preserves
- Add fruit sweetness, flavour and a swirl of colour through the custard.
The step that matters
Stir and beat well as it freezes. Beating while the mixture freezes breaks up ice crystals and incorporates air, giving a smooth, ice-cream-like texture instead of a hard, icy one.
“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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