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 ↓
Plum Pudding Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl placed in cold water or ice, beat the butter until soft.
Gradually incorporate the sugar, then mix in the brandy and sherry.
Ensure the sauce is thick and smooth, resembling good ice cream.
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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Butter + brandytop 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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Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and brandy 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
- Creams with sugar to build a soft, smooth, thick body and rich flavour.
- White pounded sugar
- Sweetens the sauce and helps it stay smooth and thick when beaten with butter.
- Brandy
- Adds aromatic, warming flavour to the sauce.
- Sherry
- Adds aromatic depth and a little acidity to the sauce.
The step that matters
Keep the bowl cold while beating the butter. Butter that gets warm turns greasy and loose, so it will not hold air or thicken well with sugar. Cold water or ice keeps the fat firm enough to beat into a smooth, thick sauce, and it also helps stop the liquids from splitting it.
“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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