Why it works: Syrup and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 25% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,143 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Iceland Moss, or Lichen Diet Drink
Ingredients
Directions
Soak 1 ounce of Iceland Moss in 1 pound of water for 12 hours.
Drain the water and boil the moss in 3 pounds of fresh water until reduced by one-third, then strain the mixture through a cloth.
Stir in 1 ounce of marshmallow syrup.
If desired, dilute with one-third of its quantity of cow's milk.
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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Syrup + milktop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,143 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Iceland moss
- Releases soothing mucilage into the water, giving the drink its thick, gel-like body.
- Marshmallow syrup
- Adds sweetness and a smooth, silky mouthfeel to the drink.
- Cow's milk
- Optional; softens the flavour and lightens the drink's colour and body.
The step that matters
Boiling the moss until reduced by one-third. Boiling extracts the moss's gel-forming starches and mucilage. Stopping at the stated reduction keeps the drink concentrated enough to be thick, rather than thin and watery.
“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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