This recipe first appeared in Food magazine.
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Ingredients
Brandy butter
Brandy sauce
Method
Brandy butter
1.Beat the butter until it is soft, then gradually beat in the icing sugar with the ground almonds.
2.Mix in the cream. Stir in the brandy or Tia Maria. Adjust the taste to suit. Chill until required.
3.Serve with Christmas pudding, mince pies, sponge puddings or pastries.
Brandy sauce
4.Place the cream and sugar in a non-stick pan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and cook gently until the cream is reduced by a quarter.
5.Mix the cornflour with the milk to make a smooth paste. Stir into the heated cream.
6.Boil for 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the brandy. Keep the sauce warm over a very low heat without letting it boil until you are ready to serve it.
Note
- If you are preparing the brandy or white sauce ahead, pour the sauce into a glass dish and cover it with some dampened greaseproof paper to prevent a skin forming. – If you are making the sauce the day before, leave it to cool and then transfer it to a sealed container and store it in the fridge. – You can add a few drops of vanilla essence to the cream or milk, or use a vanilla bean. – For a hint of spice, add a sprinkling of ground cinnamon, ginger or mixed spice to the finished sauce or butter. – You can vary the alcohol you use in these sauces but brandy is the traditional choice. Tia Maria works well with both recipes. – Once the sauce or butter is made, adjust the alcohol to suit your taste.
