Why it works: Chocolate and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,404 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Chocolate Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Melt the chocolate in a small amount of water.
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until creamy.
Make the cream
Gradually add the heated milk to the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and add the melted chocolate.
Heat gently, ensuring it does not boil.
Optionally, add strong coffee or vanilla for flavor.
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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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Chocolate + milktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,128 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar 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
- Chocolate
- Provides the main flavor and, once melted, thickens the custard as it sets.
- Milk
- Supplies the liquid base that the egg yolks thicken into a creamy texture.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the mixture as they heat and give the cream its rich, smooth body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cream and helps the whisked yolks become smooth and creamy.
The step that matters
Heat gently, ensuring it does not boil. Egg yolks thicken at moderate heat but curdle and turn grainy if they get too hot or boil. Gentle heat keeps the custard smooth.
“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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