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 ↓
Brandy Sauce for Fruits, Jellies, Etc
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl, combine the creamed butter and sugar, beating constantly.
Whip in the egg yolk until well mixed.
Slowly add the hot water while stirring constantly.
Finally, stir in the brandy.
Just before serving, fold in the stiffly beaten egg white.
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 + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + sugartop 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
- Creamed butter
- Provides fat and richness, and carries the sugar to give the sauce a smooth body.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, when beaten with butter, helps trap air for a lighter texture.
- Egg yolk
- Emulsifies the butter and water, helping the sauce stay smooth and creamy.
- Hot water
- Loosens the mixture into a pourable sauce and helps it blend smoothly.
- Egg white
- Folded in stiffly beaten, it adds lightness and a airy texture just before serving.
The step that matters
Slowly add the hot water while stirring constantly. Adding the liquid gradually while stirring lets the butter and egg yolk emulsify. Pouring it in all at once can cause the mixture to separate or look curdled.
“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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