Hard Sauce

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.

1. Butter + winetop 13% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together8,645 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).

2. Butter + sherrytop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,505 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

3. Butter + nutmegtop 16% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together24,377 recipes

   Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

4. Sherry + nutmegtop 17% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,246 recipes

   Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

5. Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together98,233 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

Provides fat that carries flavor and, when beaten, traps air for a light, creamy texture.

Powdered sugar

Sweetens the sauce and dissolves smoothly into the butter, adding body as it is beaten.

Sherry wine

Adds liquid and acidity that brightens the rich butter and sugar.

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, sherry, wine):

1. Cinnamonfits better
2. Thymefits about as well
3. Nutmegthe original
4. Clovefits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, sherry, wine. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.