Why it works: Cream and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and 43,450 recipes mention both. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Creme-de-menthe Ice Cream
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine the sugar and beaten egg with the cream and a speck of salt.
Freeze the mixture until it begins to set.
Stir in the crème de menthe.
Pack the ice cream for a while before serving.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Cream and egg share little aroma chemistry, yet 42,166 recipes mention both: they likely 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
- Thin cream
- Provides fat and richness, giving the ice cream a smooth, creamy texture.
- Egg
- Adds richness and helps emulsify the mixture for a smoother frozen texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the base and lowers the freezing point, keeping the ice cream softer.
- Crème de menthe
- Adds mint flavour and alcohol, which keeps the frozen texture softer.
The step that matters
Stir in the crème de menthe. Alcohol and sugar lower the freezing point, so too much liquor can stop the ice cream from setting firmly. Add it once the mixture has begun to set, so it blends in without melting the base.
“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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