Why it works: Sugar and rose are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 25% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,584 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Rose Lozenges
Ingredients
Directions
Soak the gum dragon in rose-water.
Mix with powdered sugar until smooth.
Color with vegetable carmine or cochineal.
If needed, add a drop of essence of roses for flavor.
Roll out the paste to about 1/8 inch thick on a marble slab.
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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Sugar + rosetop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,584 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gum dragon
- Swells in the rose-water and binds the paste, giving it body and a firm, pliable texture.
- Powdered sugar
- Provides the bulk and sweetness of the paste and sets it firm as it dries.
- Rose-water
- Liquid that hydrates the gum and adds a delicate floral aroma.
The step that matters
Soak the gum dragon in rose-water. Gum dragon (gum tragacanth) swells slowly in liquid. If it is not fully hydrated before mixing, the paste stays lumpy and weak, so it will not roll out smoothly or hold its shape.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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