Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Chocolate Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the cream
Beat the egg yolks well in a bowl.
Add the grated chocolate and sugar to the yolks.
Heat the cream until warm, then gradually mix it into the chocolate mixture.
Dissolve the clarified isinglass in a small amount of warm water and add it to the mixture.
Stir until well combined and pour into serving dishes.
Set
Chill in the refrigerator until set.
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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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Chocolate + creamtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,466 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Chocolate + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,448 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptenal (green).
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 emulsify the cream, giving it a smooth, thick body.
- Clarified isinglass
- Gelatin-like setting agent that firms the cream as it chills.
- Cream
- Supplies fat for a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
- Grated chocolate
- Provides the main chocolate flavour and some body to the mixture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cream and balances the bitterness of the chocolate.
The step that matters
Dissolve the clarified isinglass in a small amount of warm water and add it to the mixture.. Isinglass is a collagen-based gelling agent that only sets properly when fully dissolved and evenly distributed. Lumps or undissolved pieces leave weak spots, so dissolve it completely before combining.
“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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