Making Sweet Sauces

These few basic sweet sauces yield surprisingly diverse and sumptuous textures. Brandy butter is melted over hot desserts, butterscotch sauce acts a tawny drizzle, and ethereal crème Chantilly is firm enough to pipe.

Cream 175 g softened unsalted butter with a little icing sugar until light and soft. Add 4 tbsp brandy; beat until smooth. Chill.

Stir 85 g butter, 175 g brown sugar and 2 tbsp golden syrup over a low heat until melted. Add 85 ml double cream and bring just to the boil.