Why it works: Raisin and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,390 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓
Leivasupp
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak the raisins in the plum brandy for 20 to 30 minutes.
In a soup pot, bring the water and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil over high heat.
Add the bread, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the bread just begins to dissolve.
Remove the bread with a slotted spoon.
Push the bread through a fine sieve. Optionally process the bread in a food processor for no more than two pulses, but do not puree.
Stir the bread back into the pot.
Make the soup
Add the raisins with their soaking liquid, apples, prunes, cranberries, cranberry juice, cinnamon stick, lemon juice, and cloves.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the fruits are tender. Remove from the heat.
Taste the soup and add more sugar, if desired.
Chill and serve
Cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves before eating.
Serve the soup into serving bowls, with whipped cream.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 11 of 13 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Apple | 1 medium (182g) | 95 |
| Sourdough | 1 slice (36g) | 93 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cranberry | 1 cup raw (100g) | 46 |
| Plum Brandy | 1 medium (66g) | 30 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Prune | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
-
Cranberry + cinnamontop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together116 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
-
Apple + cranberrytop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together169 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Cinnamon + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sourdough bread
- Breaks down into the body of the soup, thickening it as it dissolves.
- Raisins
- Add sweetness and plump, chewy texture after soaking in the brandy.
- Prunes
- Add sweetness, dark color and a soft, jammy texture as they cook.
- Apples
- Add tartness and pectin-rich body that balances the sugar.
- Cranberries
- Add tart acidity and a bright, fruity flavor.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the tart fruit and lemon.
The step that matters
Pushing the bread through a fine sieve. Bread that is only partly broken down leaves lumps, while over-processing turns it gummy. Simmering until it just begins to dissolve and sieving gives a smooth, evenly thickened base.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, plum brandy, sugar, bread, apple, cranberry, cinnamon):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Pearfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, plum brandy, sugar, bread, apple, cranberry, cinnamon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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