Why it works: Cream and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Coffee Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
Melt the isinglass in the water.
Brew a strong cup of coffee and strain it to ensure clarity.
Combine the melted isinglass, coffee, and thick cream in a pot.
Add pounded lump sugar to taste and bring to a boil.
Set
Once nearly cool, pour the mixture into a mold.
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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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Coffee + creamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,339 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
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Coffee + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,344 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Isinglass
- Sets the liquid into a delicate gel as it cools.
- Thick cream
- Adds richness, fat and a smooth, creamy texture.
- Strong coffee
- Provides the main coffee flavour and aroma.
- Pounded lump sugar
- Adds sweetness to balance the coffee and cream.
The step that matters
Pour once nearly cool. Isinglass is a collagen-based gelling agent that sets as it cools. Pouring while the mixture is still very hot can delay or weaken setting, so wait until it is nearly cool before moulding.
“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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