Name: Broiled Plums with Mango Sorbet
Ingredients: 1/2 lb plums (about 2 medium), pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1/4 teaspoon vanilla; 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon; 3 tablespoons water; 2 cups (1 pint) fat-free mango sorbet

Why it works: Vanilla and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,287 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓

Broiled Plums with Mango Sorbet

Ovenbroiler

Time7 to 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 lb plums (about 2 medium), pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons water
2 cups (1 pint) fat-free mango sorbet

Directions

Prepare

Preheat broiler. Toss plums with sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a 1 ½ to 2 quart (9- to 10-inch round) gratin or other flameproof shallow dish (not glass). Let plums stand 5 minutes in dish to macerate.

Broil and serve

Add water to dish and broil plums 6 to 8 inches from heat, gently stirring once or twice, until fruit is softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve fruit and juice from pan topped with sorbet.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

196Calories

2 gProtein

1 gFat

48 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Mango	1 cup diced (165g)	99
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Plum	1 medium (66g)	30
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Water	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.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,287 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Plum + mangotop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together35 recipes

Shared aroma: damascenone (apple, rose).
Plum + vanillatop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together171 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Plum + cinnamontop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together513 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Vanilla + mangotop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together160 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

Plums: Provide the fruit that softens under heat and releases juice to form the sauce.
Sugar: Sweetens the plums and helps draw out juice during standing and broiling.
Mango sorbet: Adds cold, sweet contrast to the hot, softened fruit when served on top.

The step that matters

Broiling the plums. Plums must be watched under the broiler so they soften without drying or scorching, because the high direct heat browns surfaces quickly while the interior needs time to become tender and juicy.

Swap the mango

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (plum, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon):

Pearfits better
Peachfits better
Figfits better
Mangothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against plum, sugar, vanilla, 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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Broiled Plums with Mango Sorbet