Why it works: Cream and gelatin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,628 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Chocolate Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
In a saucepan, combine the grated chocolate, cream, castor sugar, and egg yolks.
Stir over low heat until the mixture thickens.
Strain and set
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve.
Add the dissolved gelatin and mix well.
Pour into a mold and refrigerate until set.
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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Cream + gelatintop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,628 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Sugar + gelatintop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,778 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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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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Chocolate + creamtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,466 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chocolate
- Provides the main chocolate flavor and body to the cream.
- Cream
- Adds richness and a smooth, moist texture.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the mixture as they gently set with heat, giving the cream its body.
- Castor sugar
- Sweetens the dessert and softens the flavor of the chocolate.
- Gelatin
- Sets the cooled mixture so it holds its shape when unmolded.
The step that matters
Stir over low heat until the mixture thickens. Egg yolks thicken as their proteins set, but too much heat makes them scramble and curdle. Gentle, constant stirring over low heat keeps the custard smooth.
“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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