Why it works: Orange and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,212 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Orange Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Dissolve the gelatine in a little cold water.
Combine the orange juice and grated rind in a pot with enough water to make 1½ pints.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Make the cream
Stir in the dissolved gelatine and sugar to taste.
Add the yolks of the eggs and mix well.
Pour into a mold and refrigerate until set.
Serve
Serve with sugar and cream.
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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Orange + sugartop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Orange + eggtop 31% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together10,696 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Orange and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 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
- Gelatine
- Sets the liquid into a firm, sliceable body as it cools.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and help thicken and enrich the creamy texture.
- Orange juice
- Provides the main citrus flavour and acidity.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the mixture and balances the orange acidity.
The step that matters
Adding the egg yolks. Yolks thicken and can scramble if the mixture is too hot. Stir them in gently and off the boil so the custard stays smooth.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Lemonfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg. 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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