Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Egg-nog
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Beat the yolks of the eggs with the sugar until stiff and frothy.
Add the brandy or whiskey to the yolk mixture and mix well.
Whip and combine
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy.
In another bowl, whip the heavy cream until frothy.
Gently fold the beaten egg whites and whipped cream into the yolk mixture.
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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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Brandy + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,635 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
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Egg + brandytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and brandy barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 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
- Egg yolks
- Emulsify and thicken the base, adding richness and a custard-like body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the base and helps the yolks stay stable when beaten.
- Brandy or whiskey
- Adds aroma and flavor, and its alcohol keeps the drink from spoiling quickly.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to foam, they add lightness and airy volume.
- Heavy cream
- Whipped to add fat, body and a smooth, creamy texture.
The step that matters
Gently fold the whites and cream into the yolk mixture. Whipped egg whites and cream trap air in fragile foams. Vigorous stirring deflates them, leaving the nog dense instead of light and fluffy.
“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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