Why it works: Brandy and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,127 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Pltjm-pudding Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
In a basin, combine pounded sugar, part of the brandy, and butter.
Let it stand by the fire until warm and the sugar and butter dissolve.
Finish and serve
Add the remaining brandy and Madeira.
Pour over the pudding or serve in a tureen.
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.
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.
-
Brandy + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Brandy + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Brandy and sugar 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
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, rounded body to the warm liquid sauce.
- Pounded sugar
- Sweetens the sauce and dissolves into the warm butter and brandy.
- Brandy
- Contributes strong aroma and a warming, spirited flavour.
- Madeira
- Adds sweetness and a mellow, nutty depth to the sauce.
The step that matters
Warming the butter and sugar gently. Gentle heat lets the sugar dissolve and the butter melt into the liquid without separating. Too much heat can make the butter split and turn greasy, so the sauce should only be warmed by the fire, not boiled.
“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.
More pudding sauce recipes
You might also like
Brandy Peaches68 recipes
Brandy Cream21 recipes
Brandy Pudding13 recipes
White Cake431 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.