Why it works: Syrup and sugar match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,842 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Brandy Peaches
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the peaches
Select large peaches, peel and keep them whole.
Make the syrup and cook
Make a syrup of three-quarters of a pound of granulated sugar (to each pound of fruit) and one-quarter of a pint of water.
Drop the peaches into the boiling syrup and cook until very tender.
Remove the peaches and pack them in jars.
Let the syrup continue to boil until very thick.
Finish and seal
Add one pint of best brandy to the syrup and seal the jars.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
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Syrup + sugartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,842 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Brandy + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Syrup + brandytop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together561 recipes
Brandy and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 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
- Peaches (in the method)
- Provide the fruit that becomes tender and flavourful in the hot syrup.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the syrup and, as it thickens, gives the preserved peaches body.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavour to the syrup and helps preserve the fruit.
The step that matters
Let the syrup continue to boil until very thick. Boiling drives off water and concentrates the sugar, so the syrup thickens and the fruit keeps well. Stopping early leaves a thin syrup that spoils more easily.
“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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