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 ↓
Pudding Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
In a bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar, brandy, egg yolks, and cream.
Cook the mixture over hot water until it begins to thicken.
Finish
Pour the sauce over the beaten egg whites.
Beat until well mixed.
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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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 + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Brandy + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,635 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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, rounded body to the sauce.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the sauce and dissolves easily into the liquid ingredients.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the sauce as they gently heat, adding richness and body.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and a smooth, velvety texture.
- Brandy
- Contributes aroma and a warm, distinctive flavor.
- Egg whites
- Beaten to add lightness and airy structure to the finished sauce.
The step that matters
Cook over hot water until it begins to thicken. Egg yolks thicken through gentle heat but can scramble if the water is too hot or the mixture is left too long. Stop as soon as it starts to thicken to keep the sauce smooth.
“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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