Why it works: Brandy and sherry are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,209 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Pudding Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Beat the yolks of the eggs very lightly.
Add the sugar and mix thoroughly.
Fold in the beaten egg whites until stiff.
Add the brandy.
Serve immediately.
Beat the butter and fine sugar until creamy.
Gradually mix in the sherry or madeira wine.
Grate a little nutmeg on top before serving.
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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Brandy + sherrytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,209 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Butter + sherrytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,505 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Brandy + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,311 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Brandy + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Butter + nutmegtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together24,377 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and thicken the sauce, while whipped whites add lightness and airy body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the sauce and, creamed with butter, helps give it a smooth texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smooth, silky mouthfeel.
- Brandy
- Adds a warm, strong aroma and flavour to the sauce.
- Sherry or madeira wine
- Adds a fortified-wine aroma and depth of flavour.
The step that matters
Fold in the beaten egg whites until stiff. Whites hold air only when whipped stiff, and folding them gently keeps that air in the mixture. Stirring vigorously deflates the foam, so the sauce loses its light texture.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, brandy, butter, sherry):
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
- Clovefits less well
- Gingerfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, brandy, butter, sherry. 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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