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 ↓
A Very Fine Somersetshire Syllabub
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
In a large bowl, combine the port and white wine.
Fill the bowl to the top with the wine mixture.
Top and serve
After 20 minutes, cover the mixture generously with clotted cream.
Sprinkle grated nutmeg, ground cinnamon, and nonpareil comfits on top.
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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Port wine + white winetop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together55 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
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Cream + nutmegtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,920 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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White wine + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,760 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).
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Port wine + cinnamontop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together241 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Port wine
- Provides the sweet, full-bodied wine flavour that forms the base of the dish.
- White wine
- Adds acidity and extra liquid, lightening the body of the port.
- Clotted cream
- Adds fat and richness, forming a thick layer over the wine.
The step that matters
Covering the wine with clotted cream. The cream must be spread generously over the wine so it forms a thick, even layer. Too little cream leaves the wine exposed and the topping thin and unevenly rich.
Swap the cinnamon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (port wine, white wine, cream, nutmeg):
- Cinnamonthe original
- Clovefits about as well
- Marjoramfits less well
- Macefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against port wine, white wine, cream, nutmeg. 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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