Why it works: Apricot and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,630 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
To Preserve Apricots
Ingredients
Directions
Pare the apricots as thin as possible and remove the pits.
Weigh the apricots and place them hollow side up on dishes.
Strew an equal weight of powdered sugar over the apricots.
Let the fruit sit for twelve hours.
Transfer the fruit to a preserving kettle and simmer gently until clear, removing any scum that rises.
Remove the fruit pieces individually and place them in small pots or jars.
Pour the syrup over the fruit, let it cool, then cover with brandy paper and seal tightly.
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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Apricot + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,630 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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