Hard Sauce

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.

1. Butter + sherrytop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,505 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

2. Butter + nutmegtop 16% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together24,377 recipes

   Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

3. Sherry + nutmegtop 17% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,246 recipes

   Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

4. Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together98,233 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

5. Sugar + nutmegtop 20% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together23,364 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).

Sugar and nutmeg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 23,364 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

Butter

Provides fat that, when beaten, creates a smooth, creamy, spreadable base.

Fine sugar

Sweetens the sauce and, when beaten into butter, helps give it a light, creamy texture.

Sherry or brandy

Adds aromatic depth and a warm, boozy flavor to the butter and sugar.

The step that matters

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, sherry):

1. Cinnamonfits better
2. Nutmegthe original
3. Thymefits less well
4. Clovefits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, sherry. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.