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Dessert

Swiss Cream

A chilled dessert of thickened cream poured over macaroons and ratafias.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
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Swiss Cream

Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Swiss Cream

Ingredients

Directions

Make the cream

  1. In a saucepan, combine the cream and milk over medium heat.

  2. Add the vanilla and sugar to taste.

  3. Smooth the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of cold milk, then mix it into the nearly boiling cream mixture.

  4. Stir continuously until thickened, then let it simmer for 2 more minutes.

  5. Remove the vanilla piece.

Assemble and serve

  1. Arrange the macaroons and ratafias on a shallow glass dish.

  2. Let the cream cool slightly, then pour it over the biscuits and serve cold.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Vanilla + sugartop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  3. Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  4. Cream + vanillatop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together12,301 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

  5. Cream + milktop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,399 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

Vanilla and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Cream
Provides richness and a smooth, velvety texture as it sets.
Milk
Thins the cream base and adds dairy flavour and body.
Cornflour
Thickens the hot liquid into a custard-like cream as it cooks.
Macaroons
Form the soft, sweet base that the cream is poured over.
Ratafias
Add a bitter almond flavour and a crisp, chewy contrast to the cream.

The step that matters

Stir continuously until thickened. Cornflour can clump or scorch on the bottom of the pan if left unstirred. Constant stirring while it heats distributes the starch evenly, so it thickens into a smooth cream rather than lumps.

“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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