Name: Bourbon Butter Sauce
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 8 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2/3 cup granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons bourbon; 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg; 1/8 teaspoon table salt; 1 large egg , beaten until foamy

Why This Recipe Works

In developing our pudding cake recipe, we baked some 15 pudding cakes, noticing that those made with lemon or orange juice came out especially well, while those flavored in other ways tended to have flimsy, fast-dissolving tops and rubbery, dense bottoms. We eventually deduced that it was the acidity of the citrus juices that made the difference. Because the juice lightly clabbered the milk-based batter, causing it to thicken, the frothy upper layer became stiffer and more stable and thus better able to puff. At the same time, the acidic juice undercut the thickening power of the flour, making a more tender custard. To shore up the cake part of those pudding cake recipes made with coffee, chocolate, and vanilla, we added an extra egg white.

Instructions

Heat first five ingredients plus 2 tablespoons water in small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly around the edges. Remove from heat. Beat egg into hot butter mixture. Return to burner, bring to boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Spoon sauce over each pudding cake. Pass leftover sauce separately.