Why it works: Sherry and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,107 recipes. Both carry piperonal, which smells bitter, coconut. The science ↓
Madeira Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Simmer the Espagnole sauce, gravy, and wine until well reduced.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the meat glaze and stir until it is dissolved.
Strain the sauce and use as required.
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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Sherry + peppertop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,107 recipes
Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).
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Meat + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,777 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Sauce + meattop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,167 recipes
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Meat + sherrytop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together505 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
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Sauce + sherrytop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,097 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Espagnole sauce
- Provides the body and thickness that give the sauce its base structure.
- Gravy
- Adds savory depth and body as the liquid reduces.
- Meat glaze
- Concentrates savory flavor and adds gloss and body to the finished sauce.
- Madeira
- Adds sweetness, aroma, and a touch of acidity from the fortified wine.
The step that matters
Season before adding the meat glaze. Simmering reduces the liquid and concentrates salt, so seasoning too early can make the sauce overly salty. Meat glaze also carries its own salt, so tasting after it dissolves matters.
“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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