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 ↓
King William's Ale Posset
Ingredients
Directions
Make the posset
Mix the cream and ale in a pot.
Beat the egg yolks and whites together until well combined and add the eggs to the cream and ale mixture.
Grate nutmeg into the mixture and sweeten to taste.
Heat over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened but not boiling.
Serve
Remove from heat, pour into a china basin, and serve hot.
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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Cream + nutmegtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Egg + nutmegtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together24,744 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Nutmeg + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together23,364 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and nutmeg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 24,744 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
- Cream
- Provides richness and body, giving the posset its smooth, velvety texture.
- Ale
- Adds bitterness and malty flavour that balances the sweetness and richness of the cream.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the mixture as they set with gentle heat, giving the posset its custard-like body.
- Egg whites
- Add extra protein to help the mixture set and give it a lighter texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the posset and balances the bitterness of the ale.
The step that matters
Heating the custard gently. Egg proteins set at moderate temperatures and curdle if overheated. Low heat with constant stirring thickens the mixture smoothly, and stopping before it boils keeps it silky rather than grainy.
“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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