Why it works: Cinnamon and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Pudding Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Bruise the stick of cinnamon and place it in a saucepan with enough water to cover it. Bring to a boil.
Add the powdered sugar, white wine, and bay leaf. Boil together, then strain through a sieve.
Serve hot in a sauceboat.
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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Cinnamon + sugartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Cinnamon + white winetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together560 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Sugar + white winetop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,586 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Cinnamon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Cinnamon
- Infuses the liquid with warm, aromatic flavour as it simmers.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and dissolves quickly into the hot liquid.
- White wine
- Adds acidity and a fruity aroma that balances the sweetness.
- Bay leaf
- Contributes a subtle herbal, aromatic note as it steeps.
“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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