Why it works: Milk and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,738 recipes. Both carry gamma-nonanolactone, which smells coconut, sweet. The science ↓
Egg Nog
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine the egg yolks and powdered sugar.
Add the milk, French brandy, and Madeira, and mix well.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the mixture.
Pour the eggnog into cup glasses and serve.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Egg + brandytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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 yolks
- Add richness and body, and help emulsify the drink for a smooth texture.
- Egg whites
- Beaten to stiff peaks, they add a light, airy foam that lifts the drink.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the drink and dissolves easily into the yolks.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base and moisture for the drink.
- French brandy
- Adds alcohol flavor and aroma, and helps keep the drink from tasting flat.
- Madeira
- Adds sweetness and a rich, nutty aroma to the drink.
The step that matters
Folding in the beaten egg whites. Egg whites hold air only while they are stiff. Folding gently keeps that air in, so the eggnog stays light and frothy instead of deflating into a flat, dense drink.
“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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