Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Sweet Sauce, No. 1
Ingredients
Directions
Boil the lemon peel and cinnamon in the milk for 10 minutes, then strain.
Melt 1 oz. of butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Gradually stir in the flavored milk.
Add the sugar and remaining butter in small pieces.
If desired, add a little grated nutmeg.
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.
-
Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Lemon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Cinnamon + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Thickens the butter and milk into a smooth sauce as it cooks.
- Butter
- Adds richness and body, and helps give the sauce a smooth finish.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce and carries the infused flavors.
- Castor sugar
- Sweetens the sauce and rounds out its flavor.
The step that matters
Gradually stir in the flavored milk. Adding the liquid slowly while stirring keeps the flour from forming lumps, so the starch disperses evenly and the sauce thickens smoothly as it heats.
Swap the nutmeg
The recipe marks nutmeg as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon, lemon):
- Nutmegthe original
- Cardamomfits about as well
- Allspicefits less well
- Gingerfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon, lemon. 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.
More sweet sauce recipes
You might also like
Lemon Cake228 recipes
Lemon Ice147 recipes
Lemon Sherbet103 recipes
Cinnamon Rolls71 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.