Why it works: Brandy and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,127 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Plum Pudding Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Put the butter and 2 teaspoons of castor sugar into a bowl.
Let it stand on or near the stove until the butter melts.
Stir in the brandy and Madeira, adding more sugar if necessary.
Serve
When hot enough, pour it over the pudding or serve separately.
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 + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Brandy + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Brandy and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 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
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, glossy body as it melts into the sauce.
- Castor sugar
- Sweetens the sauce and dissolves quickly because its fine grains blend into warm liquid.
- Brandy
- Carries aroma and warmth, adding a distinct spirited flavour to the sauce.
- Madeira
- Adds fortified wine sweetness and depth of flavour that complements the brandy.
The step that matters
Heat gently until hot enough. Gentle warmth melts the butter and dissolves the sugar without boiling off the alcohol and aroma of the brandy and Madeira. Too much heat can make the butter separate and leave the sauce tasting harsh.
“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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