Why it works: Lemon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,318 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Wine Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Cream and thin
Cream butter and powdered sugar together.
Gradually add boiling water until ½ cup has been used.
Thicken and finish
In a saucepan, stir in corn-starch mixed with a little cold milk.
Simmer until thickened, then add lemon peel and nutmeg.
Simmer for one minute, then add wine.
Cover saucepan and keep warm in hot water until ready to serve.
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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Lemon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Corn + nutmegtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together563 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Lemon + corntop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,927 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Wine + lemontop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,157 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + winetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, creamy body to the sauce.
- Powdered sugar
- Provides sweetness and dissolves easily, giving the sauce a fine texture.
- Wine
- Adds acidity and aroma that balance the sweetness and butter.
- Corn-starch
- Swells when heated and thickens the liquid into a glossy sauce.
- Lemon peel
- Contributes fragrant citrus oils that lift the flavour.
The step that matters
Simmer until thickened. Corn-starch must be heated until its granules swell and set. If it is under-cooked the sauce stays thin and can taste starchy or raw.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, wine, lemon, corn):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Thymefits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, wine, lemon, corn. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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