Why it works: Milk and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,738 recipes. Both carry gamma-nonanolactone, which smells coconut, sweet. The science ↓
Egg Nog
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and powdered sugar until smooth.
Add the milk, brandy, and Madeira, and mix well.
Add the whites and serve
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the egg mixture.
Pour into cup 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Egg + brandytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and body, and help emulsify the drink into a smooth base.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they add a light, airy foam that lightens the texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the base and dissolves easily into the yolks.
- Whole milk
- Adds liquid and creaminess, making up the bulk of the drink.
- French brandy
- Adds spirit flavour and warmth, and helps keep the drink from tasting flat.
- Madeira
- Adds fortified-wine sweetness and depth of flavour.
The step that matters
Fold the beaten egg whites gently. Whites hold air only while whipped; vigorous stirring deflates the foam and makes the nog thinner and less airy.
“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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