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Dessert

Ratafia Cream

A chilled dessert made from ratafia cakes, cream, and isinglass.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Almond and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,130 recipes. Both carry 2-heptanol, which smells bitter, floral. The science ↓

Ratafia Cream

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the ingredients

  1. Dissolve the isinglass in the milk.

  2. Break the ratafia cakes into fine crumbs and sift through a coarse sieve.

  3. If using bitter almonds, pound them with some sugar.

Make the cream

  1. In a large bowl, whisk the cream until it forms a light froth.

  2. Add the ratafia crumbs or almond mixture to the whipped cream.

  3. Stir in the dissolved isinglass until well combined.

  4. When the mixture begins to set, pour it into a mold.

Set and serve

  1. Once set, which will take about an hour, turn it out of the mold.

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.

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. Almond + creamtop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,130 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).

  2. Milk + almondtop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,800 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  3. Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,399 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

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

What each ingredient does

Isinglass
Gelatin-like setting agent that firms the cream so it holds its shape when turned out.
Heavy cream
Provides fat and body, whipped to a light froth for a rich, airy texture.
Ratafia cakes
Adds the characteristic almond-like flavour and crumbly body to the cream.
Bitter almonds
Contribute concentrated almond aroma and flavour when used in place of ratafia cakes or sugar.

The step that matters

Stirring in the isinglass as the mixture begins to set. Isinglass sets quickly as it cools, so it must be stirred in evenly while the dissolved liquid is still warm and fluid. If it begins to gel before being fully combined, lumps form and the cream sets unevenly.

Swap the almond

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

  1. Cocoafits about as well
  2. Almondthe original
  3. Pistachiofits about as well
  4. Peanutfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against milk, 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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