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 ↓
Ceeamy Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the meringue
Beat the egg white until stiff.
Gradually add the sugar while beating constantly.
Make the sauce
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolk until thick and lemon colored.
Fold in the heavy cream until stiff.
Add the Sherry wine and mix gently.
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.
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Cream + sherrytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,038 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
-
Cream + winetop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,887 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
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 white
- Whipped to stiff foam, it gives the sauce its light, airy structure.
- Sugar
- Added to the whipped white, it stabilizes the foam and adds sweetness.
- Egg yolk
- Beaten until thick, it adds richness and body to the sauce.
- Heavy cream
- Folded in, its fat adds softness and a smooth, rich texture.
- Sherry wine
- Added at the end, it contributes acidity and a nutty, aromatic flavor.
The step that matters
Gradually add the sugar while beating constantly. Adding sugar slowly while beating lets it dissolve into the foam and keeps the whites stable. Dumping it in at once can deflate the foam and leave the meringue weak.
“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.
More cream sauce recipes
You might also like
Wine Sauce (for stewed fruit)186 recipes
Wine Sauce for Sweet Puddings6 recipes
Caper Sauce180 recipes
Brown Sauce141 recipesThe 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.