Why it works: Sherry and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,246 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓
Arrow-root
Ingredients
Directions
Make the arrowroot
Mix the arrow-root with enough cold water to form a soft paste and rub until smooth.
Gradually add the boiling water while stirring briskly.
Boil for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat.
Flavour and serve
Stir in the sherry or white wine, nutmeg or lemon peel, and sugar to taste.
For young children, use milk instead of water and omit the wine.
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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Sherry + nutmegtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,246 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Nutmeg + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together23,364 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
-
Sherry + sugartop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,141 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Nutmeg and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 23,364 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
- Arrow-root
- Thickens the liquid into a smooth, clear, glossy gel as it heats.
- Boiling water
- Gelatinises the arrowroot starch so the mixture thickens.
The step that matters
Adding the boiling water. Pour the boiling water in gradually while stirring briskly. Adding it all at once or without stirring can leave lumps of starch that do not dissolve smoothly.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sherry, sugar):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Gingerfits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
- Clovefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sherry, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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