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Sauce

Nutmeg Sauce

A sauce made with boiling water, butter, sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, and eggs.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Nutmeg and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 24,744 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓

Nutmeg Sauce

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Into two cupfuls boiling water, put three-fourths cupful butter, two cupfuls sugar, one small teaspoon of cornstarch for thickening, one-half small grated nutmeg.

  2. After boiling a few minutes, set aside until slightly cool, then add the two well beaten eggs.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

594Calories
19 gProtein
7 gFat
109 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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. See the original page.

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.

  1. Nutmeg + eggtop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together24,744 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

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

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

  3. Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together122,807 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Nutmeg and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 24,744 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

Eggs
Enrich the sauce and help thicken it gently as they cook.
Cornstarch
Thickens the sauce as it heats, giving a smooth, body-rich texture.
Butter (in the method)
Adds fat for a rich, smooth mouthfeel.
Sugar
Sweetens the sauce and adds body.
Nutmeg
Provides warm, aromatic flavour.

The step that matters

Let the sauce cool slightly before adding the eggs. Beaten eggs can scramble if added to very hot liquid. Letting the sauce cool slightly allows the eggs to blend smoothly and thicken gently rather than curdle.

Swap the nutmeg

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

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Nutmegthe original
  3. Gingerfits less well
  4. Capersfits less well

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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