Name: Pears in Brandy
Ingredients: Pears; Acidulated water; Syrup; Brandy

Why it works: Pear and brandy work together. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 157 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓

Pears in Brandy

Ingredients

Pears
Acidulated water
Syrup
Brandy

Directions

Cut the pears in halves or quarters.
Soak the pear pieces in acidulated water to prevent browning.
Simmer the pears in syrup until half cooked.
Finish the pears as directed for peaches.

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 + brandytop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together157 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Pear + syruptop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together254 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Syrup + brandytop 22% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together561 recipes