Why it works: Raisin and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,781 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓
Kentucky Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Prepare a half gallon of rich boiled custard and sweeten to taste.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons of gelatin in ½ cup of cold milk.
Let the custard cool, then pour it into the freezer.
Freeze and finish
When it is half frozen, add 1 pound of raisins, 1 pint of strawberry preserves, and 1 quart of whipped cream.
Beat well and finish freezing.
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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Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,781 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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Gelatin + creamtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,628 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Strawberry + almondtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Milk + strawberrytop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,130 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,180 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gelatin
- Dissolved in cold milk to help the frozen dessert hold a smooth, firm body.
- Whipped cream
- Adds air and richness, giving the frozen custard a lighter, creamier texture.
- Strawberry preserves
- Contributes sweetness, fruit flavor and color to the custard.
- Raisins
- Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness throughout the frozen dessert.
The step that matters
Beat well and finish freezing. Beating while the mixture is partly frozen breaks up ice crystals and incorporates air, keeping the texture smooth rather than icy and dense.
“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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