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 ↓
Sauce for Same
Ingredients
Directions
Beat the egg yolks until light.
Beat the egg whites until stiff.
Combine the egg yolks and egg whites.
Add the powdered sugar, hot cream, and sherry wine to 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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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Cream + sherrytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,038 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
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Cream + winetop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,887 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + sherrytop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,141 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and emulsifying fat that gives the sauce a smooth, creamy body.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they trap air and give the sauce a light, airy texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Dissolves easily into the mixture, adding sweetness without grittiness.
- Hot cream
- Adds moisture and richness, and warmth that helps the sauce blend smoothly.
- Sherry wine
- Adds acidity and aromatic flavor that gives the sauce its distinctive character.
The step that matters
Beat the egg whites until stiff. Under-beaten whites will not hold air and the sauce turns dense; over-beaten whites turn dry and grainy and separate. Stop at firm, glossy peaks.
“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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