Why it works: Lemon and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and 53,532 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Creme-de-menthe Ice
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine water, sugar, and lemon juice. Freeze the mixture until solid.
Once frozen, stir in the crème de menthe.
Gently fold in the slightly beaten egg white.
Return to the freezer until ready to serve.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Lemon + eggtop 19% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and sugar share little aroma chemistry, yet 53,532 recipes mention both: they likely 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
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and lowers the freezing point, keeping the ice softer and less rock-hard.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the sweetness.
- Egg white
- When folded in gently, it traps air and makes the ice lighter and smoother.
- Crème de menthe
- Supplies the mint flavour and its alcohol keeps the frozen mixture softer.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg white. Fold gently so the air in the lightly beaten egg white is kept. Stirring hard would deflate it and leave the ice denser and less smooth.
Flavor stand-ins for the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg):
- Vanillabetter flavor fit
- Raisinabout as good a flavor fit
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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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