Why it works: Butter and brandy 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 ↓
German Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Boil sugar and water for 15 minutes.
Beat the egg yolks and add the syrup.
Set the mixture over hot water and whisk until it begins to thicken.
Finish and serve
Add the butter, brandy, and beaten egg whites.
Stir for a few minutes to cook the eggs and serve with plum pudding.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Butter + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Egg + brandytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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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
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the sauce as they cook, giving it body and a smooth, custardy texture.
- Egg whites
- Add lightness and airy volume to the sauce.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the sauce and, boiled into syrup, gives it a smooth, thick base.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a silky mouthfeel to the sauce.
- Brandy
- Adds a warm, aromatic flavour to the sauce.
The step that matters
Whisking over hot water until it begins to thicken. Egg yolks thicken gently as their proteins set with heat. Too much heat or too little whisking can scramble them, leaving lumps instead of a smooth sauce.
“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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