Why it works: Lobster and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,050 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Lobster a LA Newbubgh
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the lobster into small slices.
In a chafing dish, melt the butter.
Cook and finish
Add the lobster slices, season with pepper and salt, and pour in the wine.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Stir in the beaten egg yolks and heavy cream.
Bring to a boil and serve immediately.
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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Lobster + creamtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,050 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Butter + white winetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,083 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Pepper + white winetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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White wine + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,760 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lobster
- Provides the main protein, which firms and turns opaque as it cooks.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the cream into a rich sauce as they set gently with heat.
- Heavy cream
- Adds richness and body, helping form a smooth, velvety sauce.
- White wine
- Adds acidity and aroma that brighten the buttery, creamy sauce.
- Butter
- Adds fat and flavour, carrying the seasoning into the lobster.
The step that matters
Stir in the beaten egg yolks and heavy cream. Egg yolks can curdle or scramble if they get too hot. Add them off the heat or at low heat, stirring constantly, so the sauce thickens smoothly rather than turning grainy.
“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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