Why it works: Raisin and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,768 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Madeira Wine
Ingredients
Directions
Make the must
Add thirty pounds of moist sugar to ten gallons of water.
Boil the mixture for half an hour and skim it clear.
When the mixture is quite cold, add a quart of ale per gallon of water.
Let the mixture stand to work for two or three days in a tub.
Ferment and age
Transfer the mixture to a barrel and add one pound of brown sugar candy, six pounds of raisins, one quart of brandy, and a little isinglass.
When the mixture has finished working, store it close and let it stand for twelve months before bottling. Do not stop it down too soon.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 4 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Brandy | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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.
-
Raisin + brandytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,768 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and brandy 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
- Moist sugar
- Provides the fermentable sugar that yeast converts into alcohol, giving the wine its body and strength.
- Raisins
- Add fermentable sugar, fruit flavour and body to the wine.
- Brandy
- Raises the alcohol content, stabilising the wine and adding warmth.
- Ale
- Contributes yeast to start the fermentation.
- Brown sugar candy
- Adds extra fermentable sugar and a deeper, caramel-like sweetness.
The step that matters
Stopping the fermentation late. Racking or sealing the barrel before fermentation has finished can trap carbon dioxide and leave residual sugar that keeps working. Waiting until activity has ceased lets the wine stabilise and clear before it is bottled.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, brandy):
- Vanillafits better
- Apricotfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
- Figfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, brandy. 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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