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 ↓
Meringues
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the meringue
Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth.
Quickly mix in the sifted sugar.
Shape and bake
Place spoonfuls of the mixture on waxed paper in little oval heaps, ensuring they do not touch.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C). If they begin to brown, leave the oven door open.
Detach the meringues from the paper immediately and leave them at the oven door.
Serve
Before serving, fill one meringue with whipped cream and top it with another meringue to enclose the 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.
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.
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Egg and cream barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 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 whites
- Beaten into a stiff foam that traps air, giving the meringue its light, crisp structure.
- Sifted sugar
- Stabilises the foam and sweetens the meringue, giving it a crisp, dry texture when baked.
- Whipped cream
- Fills the baked meringues, adding moisture and richness in contrast to the crisp shells.
The step that matters
Quickly mix in the sifted sugar.. Sugar added slowly or late can leave the foam weeping or grainy, and overbeating makes it dry and collapse-prone. Working promptly keeps the air bubbles stable so the meringue bakes crisp rather than flat.
“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 meringues recipes
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 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.