Why it works: Gelatin and cream match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,628 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Ivory Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the cream
Soak the gelatin in cold water, then dissolve it in boiling water.
Add sugar, wine or extract to the dissolved gelatin.
Strain the mixture into a bowl placed in a pan of cracked ice and beat until slightly thickened.
Fold in the whipped cream and continue beating until the mixture is stiff enough to stand.
Mold and serve
Turn into individual molds that have been dipped in cold water.
Serve with additional whipped cream and garnish with cubes of sherry or orange jelly.
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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Gelatin + creamtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,628 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Gelatin + sugartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,778 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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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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Vanilla + creamtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,301 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Granulated gelatin
- Sets the liquid mixture so it holds its shape when unmolded.
- Whipped cream
- Adds lightness and richness, giving the set cream a soft, airy texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the dessert and balances the flavor of the wine or extract.
- Madeira wine
- Adds aroma and flavor; its sweetness and alcohol lift the cream's taste.
- Vanilla extract
- Adds aroma and a rounded vanilla flavor to the cream.
The step that matters
Beat over cracked ice until slightly thickened. Gelatin begins to set as it cools, so the mixture must thicken to a light, slightly viscous state before the whipped cream is folded in. If it sets too far, lumps and a grainy texture form; if it stays too warm, the cream will not hold its shape.
“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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