Why it works: Brandy and sherry are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,209 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Lobster Newburg
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the lobster
Cut the lobster meat into small, delicate slices.
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
Add the lobster and cook slowly for 5 minutes.
Stir in the salt, pepper, sherry, brandy, and nutmeg, and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Finish and serve
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and mix in the cream.
Pour the egg and cream mixture over the lobster and stir constantly for 1.5 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve in a warm dish.
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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Brandy + sherrytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,209 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Lobster + creamtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,050 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cream + nutmegtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lobster meat
- Provides the main protein and sweet, delicate flavour that the sauce carries.
- Butter
- Adds richness and carries flavour as the lobster cooks gently in the pan.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the cream sauce as they gently cook, giving it a smooth, rich body.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, and blends with the yolks to form a silky sauce.
- Brandy
- Adds depth and aroma to the sauce while simmering with the lobster.
- Sherry
- Adds aroma and a touch of acidity and sweetness to the sauce.
The step that matters
Adding the egg and cream mixture. Egg yolks thicken when heated gently but can scramble if the heat is too high or they are not stirred constantly. Keeping the heat moderate and stirring steadily produces a smooth, thickened sauce rather than curdled bits.
“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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