Why it works: Chocolate and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,020 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the chocolate base
Melt the chocolate and mix it with half the sugar.
Heat half the cream in a double boiler until boiling.
Slowly add the remaining sugar and melted chocolate while stirring continuously.
Allow the mixture to cook for about one minute, then remove from heat.
Finish and freeze
Stir in the remaining cream and add the cut marshmallows just before freezing.
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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Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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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).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Cream
- Provides fat for a rich, smooth texture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and keeps the frozen ice cream softer.
- Chocolate
- Gives the main chocolate flavour and adds richness.
- Marshmallows
- Add sweetness and soft, chewy pieces throughout.
The step that matters
Add the marshmallows just before freezing. Marshmallows soften and dissolve when heated, so adding them last keeps their pieces intact and distinct in the finished ice cream.
“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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