Name: Compote French Pears, White, Wet
Ingredients: large pears; water; lemon peel; thin syrup

Why it works: Pear and lemon work together. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 942 recipes. Both carry alpha-pinene, which smells pine, turpentine. The science ↓

Compote French Pears, White, Wet

Ingredients

large pears
water
lemon peel
thin syrup

Directions

Quarter the pears lengthwise and place them in a pan of water.
Simmer the pears over low heat for 45 minutes.
Drain the water from the pears.
In a separate pan, bring the thin syrup to a boil and add the pears.
Boil the pears for 5 to 6 minutes.
Transfer the pears to a flat earthen pan and let them sit overnight.
The next day, boil the pears again until the syrup is well absorbed.
Store the pears in the brown pan for later use.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Pear + lemontop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together942 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Pear + syruptop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together254 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Lemon + syruptop 20% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together2,235 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).