Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Creamy Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Cream the butter in a bowl.
Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar while beating continuously.
Slowly add the wine, continuing to beat the mixture.
Finally, add the cream or milk and mix until well combined.
Just before serving, place the bowl in hot water and stir until smooth and creamy.
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 + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + winetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Wine + creamtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,887 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creams with the sugar to give the sauce a rich, smooth body.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and dissolves smoothly into the butter for a fine texture.
- Wine
- Adds acidity and aroma that balance the sweetness of the sauce.
- Cream or milk
- Adds moisture and liquid richness, loosening the sauce to a creamy consistency.
The step that matters
Warming over hot water just before serving. Butter-and-sugar sauces can turn grainy or separate if overheated. Gentle warming in hot water softens the butter enough to blend smooth without melting it into an oily mix.
“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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