Why it works: Cream and sugar 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
Prepare the cream
Whip the cream, brandy (or sherry), and sugar together to a stiff froth.
Dissolve the gelatine in the milk by placing it by the fire.
Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth.
Strain the dissolved gelatine over the beaten egg whites.
Stir the gelatine and egg mixture into the whipped cream.
Set the mixture on ice to cool.
Line and set
When almost cold, pour it into a mould lined with sponge cake.
Cut the sponge cake into narrow pieces.
Fit the pieces to the sides of the mould.
Pour the mixture into the mould.
Set on ice to stiffen.
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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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Brandy + milktop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Cream + brandytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,635 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
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Brandy + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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Cream + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rich cream
- Whipped to a stiff froth, it forms the light, rich body of the dessert.
- Gelatine
- Sets the mixture so it holds its shape when turned out of the mould.
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a foam, they add airiness and lightness to the filling.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps stabilise the whipped cream.
- Sponge cake
- Lines the mould, giving the dessert a soft, cake-based edge and structure.
The step that matters
Strain the dissolved gelatine over the beaten egg whites. Gelatine must be fully dissolved and added while still liquid but not hot, so it blends evenly instead of forming strands or lumps. Pouring it in slowly while folding keeps the foam airy and the set smooth.
“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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