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 ↓
Seasoned Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the cream
In a saucepan, combine the cream and powdered sugar.
Add the beaten egg yolks and stir well.
Place the mixture over hot coals and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Once boiled, remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Chill and serve
Pour into a glass bowl and refrigerate until cool.
Serve with your choice of preserves.
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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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Cream and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 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
- Cream
- Provides richness and the main body of the dish.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the cream and dissolves easily into it.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the cream as they cook and add richness.
The step that matters
Stirring while bringing to a boil. Egg yolks can curdle or scramble if the mixture overheats or sits still over direct heat. Constant stirring spreads the heat evenly and keeps the custard smooth as it thickens.
“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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