Why it works: Milk and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,738 recipes. Both carry gamma-nonanolactone, which smells coconut, sweet. The science ↓
Egg Nog
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the base
Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs.
In a bowl, combine the egg yolks and powdered sugar.
Add the milk, brandy, and Madeira to the yolk mixture and stir well.
Finish and serve
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the mixture.
Pour into cup glasses and serve.
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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Milk + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,738 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Brandy + madeira winetop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together120 recipes
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Egg + brandytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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 whites
- Beaten to stiff peaks, they add a light, airy foam that lightens the drink.
- Egg yolks
- They add richness and body, giving the drink its creamy texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Dissolves easily into the yolks, adding sweetness and smoothness.
- Whole milk
- Forms the liquid base, adding moisture and creaminess.
- French brandy
- Adds alcoholic warmth and aroma to the drink.
- Madeira wine
- Adds sweetness, depth and a rich, nutty aroma.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Beaten whites hold air only if they are handled gently. Stirring or overmixing them deflates the foam, leaving the eggnog flat and less light in texture.
“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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