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 ↓
Italian Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Dissolve isinglass in hot water over low heat and keep it warm.
In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, egg yolks, crushed macaroons, powdered sugar, and curaçao.
Stir constantly over low heat until the mixture thickens.
Remove from heat and mix in the dissolved isinglass.
Strain the mixture through a wire sieve while still liquid.
Finish and set
Gently fold in the whipped cream.
Reserve some Italian cream for filling meringues and pour the rest into a mold.
Cool and chill the Italian cream before serving with a border of whipped cream.
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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Egg + sugartop 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
- Isinglass
- Gelatin-like setting agent that firms the cream so it holds its shape when chilled.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich and thicken the custard base, adding richness and body as they cook.
- Heavy cream
- Provides fat and a rich, smooth texture that gives the dessert its body.
- Whipped cream
- Adds lightness and airiness to the set cream, and forms the decorative border.
- Macaroons
- Add almond flavour and a slightly crumbly texture to the custard.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the cream and dissolves smoothly into the custard base.
The step that matters
Stirring over low heat until the mixture thickens. Egg yolks thicken at gentle heat but can scramble if overheated. Constant stirring over low heat keeps the custard smooth and prevents curdling before the isinglass is added.
“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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