Why it works: Butter and brandy 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 ↓
Brandy Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until very light.
Add the egg whites one at a time, beating steadily.
When ready, add the brandy and boiling water.
Set the bowl in a bain-marie over the fire and stir until creamy.
Serve
Serve hot.
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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Butter + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Brandy + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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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
- Creamed with sugar to trap air, giving the sauce a light, smooth body and rich flavor.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the sauce and dissolves smoothly, helping it cream into a light base.
- Egg whites
- Beaten in to add air and lightness, helping the sauce set creamy when gently heated.
- Brandy
- Adds a warm, aromatic flavor that defines the sauce.
The step that matters
Set the bowl in a bain-marie and stir until creamy. Gentle indirect heat from the water bath warms the egg whites and butter slowly so they thicken smoothly. Direct high heat would scramble the eggs and cause the sauce to curdle.
“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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