Why it works: Berry and sauce work together. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and 70 recipes mention both. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
The recipe
4 servingsIngredients
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Pat the pork chops dry and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chops about 4 minutes per side until browned, then transfer to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Pour in the dry white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for about 4 minutes until slightly reduced.
Stir in the whole berry cranberry sauce, sliced sage and chopped thyme. Simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring until smooth.
Return the pork chops and any juices to the skillet. Spoon the sauce over them and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
Check that the thickest part of the pork reads at least 145°F (63°C). Let the chops rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Stir the chopped parsley into the remaining sauce or sprinkle it over the chops and serve with the cranberry wine sauce spooned on top.
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.
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Berry + saucetop 15% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together70 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Berry + cranberrytop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together68 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Olive + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together23,449 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Olive + cranberrytop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together127 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
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Pepper + garlictop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together27,044 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, pork, pepper, white wine, berry, cranberry, sauce):
- Thymebetter flavor fit
- Gingerbetter flavor fit
- Rosemaryabout as good a flavor fit
- Garlicthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against olive, pork, pepper, white wine, berry, cranberry, sauce. 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).
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