Why it works: Butter and sherry are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,505 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Hard Sauce for Puddings
Ingredients
Directions
Mix the butter and powdered sugar thoroughly.
Heat the mixture to a light cream.
Add the sherry or flavoring extract drop by drop, beating continuously until fully incorporated.
Set aside to cool completely before using.
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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Butter + sherrytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,505 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + sherrytop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,141 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Melts into the sugar to give the sauce its rich, smooth body.
- Powdered sugar
- Dissolves easily into the butter, adding sweetness and a smooth texture.
- Sherry or flavoring extract
- Adds aroma and flavor that defines the sauce.
The step that matters
Adding the sherry or flavoring extract. Adding liquid too quickly can cause the butter and sugar mixture to separate or curdle. Adding it drop by drop while beating lets the liquid emulsify evenly, keeping the sauce 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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