Why it works: Cream and sugar 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 ↓
Vienna Coffee
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the coffee
Combine equal parts mocha and java coffee.
Use 1 heaping tablespoon of coffee per person plus 2 extra for strength.
Mix the egg with the coffee grounds.
Pour in half the amount of boiling water needed.
Brew
Let it froth, then stir down the grounds and boil for 5 minutes.
Allow to stand hot (but not boiling) for 5 to 10 minutes, then add the remaining water.
Make the cream and serve
In a separate bowl, beat the egg white and mix it with 1 pint of cream.
Serve the cream mixture in cups with sugar, then add the hot coffee.
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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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Coffee + creamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,339 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
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Coffee + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,344 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).
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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
- Helps clarify the coffee grounds as it cooks, leaving a cleaner brew.
- Egg white
- Whipped into the cream to add lightness and a softer texture.
- Cream
- Adds richness and fat that softens the bitterness of the coffee.
- Coffee
- Provides the main flavor and aroma of the drink.
The step that matters
Stand the coffee hot, not boiling. Boiling again after the grounds have settled can over-extract bitter compounds and make the coffee harsh. Holding it just below a boil lets the grounds settle while keeping the flavor 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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