Why it works: Cranberry and mandarin orange share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and 7 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-undecenal, which smells sweet. The science ↓
The recipe
8 servingsIngredients
Contains: tree nuts (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
In a large bowl, break up the whole cranberry sauce with a fork or spoon until it is mostly smooth but still has some texture.
Stir in the vanilla extract until evenly combined.
Add the halved green grapes, drained and quartered mandarin oranges, and diced red apple. Fold gently to combine.
Fold in the chopped walnuts and sweetened flaked coconut, reserving a small pinch of each for topping if you like.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the flavors blend and the salad chills.
Sprinkle with the reserved walnuts and coconut just before serving.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Cranberry + mandarin orangetop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together7 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
-
Grape + appletop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,656 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
-
Cranberry + appletop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together169 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Coconut + vanillatop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,294 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Cranberry + walnuttop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together51 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the mandarin orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cranberry, sauce, grape, coconut, vanilla, walnut, apple):
- Pearbetter flavor fit
- Pineapplebetter flavor fit
- Figbetter flavor fit
- Mandarin orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cranberry, sauce, grape, coconut, vanilla, walnut, apple. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
The Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.