Why it works: Nutmeg and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
London Syllabub
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syllabub
Combine 1½ pints of port or white wine, grated nutmeg, and sugar to taste in a bowl.
Add 2 quarts of frothed milk to the mixture.
If the wine is not sharp, adjust the amount accordingly.
Finish and serve
Top with clotted cream and sprinkle with pounded cinnamon and sugar if desired.
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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Nutmeg + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Nutmeg + creamtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Port or white wine
- Provides acidity that curdles the milk into a thick, light, set foam.
- Milk
- Forms the bulk of the dish and, when frothed, creates the airy body.
- Clotted cream
- Adds richness and fat for a smoother, creamier texture.
The step that matters
Adding the frothed milk to the wine mixture. The acid in the wine curdles the milk proteins, which thickens the mixture into a set, spoonable foam. Adding the milk gently and keeping it frothy helps the body stay light rather than becoming dense or 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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