Why it works: Sherry and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,209 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Blancmange
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Mix milk, cream, and sugar in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly.
When warm, add the lemon rind to release its oil. Do not allow to boil.
Once at the right consistency, remove the lemon rind and take off the heat.
Boil for 20 minutes, then remove the lemon rind again.
Set and serve
When nearly cold, stir in the sherry and brandy.
Pour into a mold and let cool and stiffen.
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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Sherry + brandytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,209 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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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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Milk + sherrytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,479 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
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Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Milk
- Forms the liquid body of the blancmange and gives it a creamy base.
- Cream
- Adds fat for a richer, smoother texture and mouthfeel.
- Isinglass
- Acts as a setting agent, so the mixture stiffens as it cools.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to balance the dairy.
- Lemon rind
- Releases its aromatic oil into the warm milk and cream, adding citrus aroma.
- Sherry
- Adds flavour and aroma to the set dessert.
The step that matters
Stir in the sherry and brandy when nearly cold. Alcohol evaporates and its aroma fades when heated, so adding the sherry and brandy only once the mixture has cooled keeps more of their flavour in the finished dessert.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, cream, sherry, brandy, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Apricotfits better
- Strawberryfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, cream, sherry, brandy, sugar. 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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