Why it works: Milk and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Creme Au Caramel
Ingredients
Directions
Make the caramel
Melt the sugar over low heat, stirring constantly until it begins to color.
Boil the isinglass in the milk until dissolved, then pour it into the caramel, stirring until fully combined.
Thicken and set
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks.
Pour the caramel and isinglass mixture into the egg yolks, stirring over low heat until it thickens.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a mold.
Chill the mold in the refrigerator until set.
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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Milk + eggtop 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 + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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
- Sugar
- Caramelizes to give browning, a deep caramel flavor, and sweetness.
- Isinglass
- Acts as a setting agent that gives the custard a firm, sliceable gel when chilled.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base and moisture that the custard sets from.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the custard as their proteins set with gentle heat, giving it a smooth, rich texture.
The step that matters
Stirring the caramel mixture into the egg yolks over low heat. Egg proteins set when heated, so if the heat is too high or stirring stops, the yolks can scramble and curdle instead of thickening into a smooth custard. Low heat and constant stirring keep the texture silky.
“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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