Why it works: Egg and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,340 recipes. Both carry acetoin, which smells butter, cream. The science ↓
Egg Flip
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, beat together the egg yolks and egg whites with the sugar until well combined.
Gradually pour in the boiling water, mixing continuously until all is incorporated.
Stir in the brandy or rum.
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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Egg + brandytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and brandy barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 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
- Egg yolks and egg whites
- Provide body, richness and a light, frothy texture when beaten.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the drink and softens the eggs' flavour.
- Boiling water
- Thins the eggs and warms them into a smooth, hot drink.
- Brandy or rum
- Adds aroma and warmth of flavour.
The step that matters
Pouring in the boiling water. Adding the hot water slowly while mixing constantly warms the egg gradually, which keeps it smooth. Pouring it in all at once can cause the egg to scramble or curdle.
“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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