Why it works: Coffee and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,344 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Coffee Cream
serves ten in sherbet glassesIngredients
Directions
Make the custard
Mix the cornstarch and sugar thoroughly.
Add the mixture to boiling coffee.
Cook in a double boiler until thickened.
Slowly pour the mixture over the beaten eggs.
Serve
Serve in ten sherbet glasses topped with whipped cream.
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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Coffee + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,344 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Coffee + eggtop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,239 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the coffee mixture into a smooth, creamy custard as it cooks.
- Eggs
- Add richness and body to the custard once they are beaten and blended in.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the coffee and helps balance its bitterness.
- Strong coffee
- Provides the main flavour of the cream.
The step that matters
Slowly pour the mixture over the beaten eggs.. Pouring hot mixture into eggs too quickly can scramble them. Adding it slowly while whisking gently warms the eggs so the custard stays smooth.
“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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