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Dessert

Velvet Cream

A chilled dessert made with isinglass, milk, sugar, lemon rind, sherry, brandy, and double cream.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
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Velvet Cream

Why it works: Sherry and brandy 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 ↓

Velvet Cream

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Dissolve the isinglass in the milk over low heat.

  2. Rub the loaf sugar on the rind of a lemon after wiping it with a damp cloth.

Make the cream

  1. Add the sherry and brandy to the sugar and mix well.

  2. Whip the double cream until frothy.

  3. Strain the dissolved isinglass into the whipped cream, then add the other ingredients.

  4. Mix well, pour into a mold, and refrigerate until cold.

Serve

  1. Once set, turn out and serve.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Sherry + brandytop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,209 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  3. Milk + sherrytop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,479 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).

  4. Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,053 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,738 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Isinglass
Sets the cream into a firm, sliceable gel as it cools.
Double cream
Provides richness and a light, airy texture when whipped.
Loaf sugar
Adds sweetness and balances the sharpness of the lemon and sherry.
Lemons
Their rind adds bright citrus aroma to the sugar.
Sherry
Adds aroma and a wine flavor that contrasts with the sweetness.

The step that matters

Strain the dissolved isinglass into the whipped cream. Isinglass is a collagen-based gelling agent that sets as it cools. If it cools too much before it is added, it can form strands or lumps instead of blending evenly, and the cream may not set smoothly. Mixing it in while still liquid and combining thoroughly gives an even, firm set.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, sugar, sherry, brandy, cream):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Apricotfits better
  3. Strawberryfits better
  4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against milk, sugar, sherry, brandy, cream. 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.

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