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 ↓
Syllabub
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syllabub
Whip the cream to stiff peaks in a mixing bowl.
Gradually add the powdered sugar while whipping.
Once the cream is fluffy, gently fold in the wine.
Chill and serve
Chill the mixture on ice until ready to serve.
Spoon into glasses and serve.
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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Cream + winetop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,887 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Sugar + winetop 31% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together9,581 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Heavy cream
- Whipped into stiff peaks, its fat and proteins trap air to form the light, airy body of the dessert.
- Powdered sugar
- Dissolves easily into the cream during whipping, adding sweetness and helping stabilize the foam.
- Wine
- Folded in gently at the end to add acidity and flavor to the cream.
The step that matters
Folding in the wine. Wine added to whipped cream can deflate it and make it runny. Folding gently, once the cream is fluffy rather than fully whipped, keeps the air bubbles intact.
“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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