Why it works: Brandy and sherry are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,209 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Montrose Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Soak the gelatine in cold water for 30 minutes.
Boil the cream in a double boiler.
Beat the egg yolks and powdered sugar together until light.
Stir the egg mixture into the boiling cream and stir for 1 minute.
Add the dissolved gelatine and stir until fully combined.
Remove from heat and mix in the vanilla, brandy, and sherry.
Cool and serve
Allow to cool before using as a filling for cream puffs or a sauce for cake.
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.
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Brandy + sherrytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,209 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Vanilla + sherrytop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together506 recipes
Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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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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Vanilla + brandytop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Gelatine
- Sets the cooled mixture so it holds its shape as a filling or sauce.
- Cream
- Provides richness and a smooth, creamy body.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the custard and add richness through their proteins and fat.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and dissolves easily into the egg mixture.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and a warm, alcoholic flavour.
The step that matters
Stir the egg mixture into the boiling cream. Egg yolks thicken through gentle heat, and if they are added to very hot cream without stirring constantly they can scramble into lumps. Stirring while adding them 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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