Why it works: Maple syrup and cream work together. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 607 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Maple Mousse
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Heat the maple syrup in a double boiler.
Beat the eggs until well mixed and slowly pour the hot syrup over them.
Return the mixture to the double boiler and cook until thickened, stirring carefully.
Cool the mixture and gently fold in the stiffly beaten cream.
Freeze
Pour into a mold.
Pack in ice and salt.
Seal the cover with a strip of muslin dipped in butter or paraffin.
Let stand for three hours.
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.
-
Maple syrup + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together607 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Maple syrup + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,156 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
- Eggs
- Thicken the custard base when gently cooked and give the mousse its structure.
- Double cream
- Adds richness and a light, airy texture when whipped and folded in.
- Maple syrup
- Provides the sweetness and maple flavour of the mousse.
The step that matters
Return the mixture to the double boiler and cook until thickened, stirring carefully.. Egg proteins set as they heat, so cooking gently while stirring thickens the custard smoothly; too much heat can curdle the eggs.
“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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Maple Fudge35 recipes
Maple Cream34 recipes
Maple Syrup Filling12 recipes
Maple Cream Candy11 recipes