Why it works: Sugar and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Acacia Flower Sherbet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the infusion
Clean the acacia flowers as for Rose preserves and set to boil with 1 qt/1 l of water.
After a couple of minutes of boiling, remove from heat, cover, let cool off, then strain through cheese cloth.
Make the syrup
Set the strained liquid to boil with the sugar (preferably lump sugar), at low heat to start with and after removing all foam, at medium heat.
Wipe the inner walls of the pot with a clean, wet cloth and let boil until thickened.
Finish
When tepid, beat the mixture, adding the lemon juice gradually, at the end.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 5 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Acacia | not in our table | 0 |
| Flower | not in our table | 0 |
| 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.
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.
-
Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Acacia flowers
- Provide the main flavour and aroma of the sherbet.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the liquid and thickens it as it boils down into a syrup.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the sweetness and balances the flavour.
The step that matters
Removing the foam before medium heat. Foam that forms while the sugar dissolves can carry impurities and cloud the sherbet. Skimming it off at low heat before raising the temperature keeps the liquid clear and the flavour clean.
“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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