Why it works: Clove and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Sweet Pickled Peaches
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the peaches
Drop peaches in boiling strong soda water and rub off the fur.
Peel large clingstone peaches.
For 9 lbs of peaches, take 4 lbs granulated sugar.
Make the syrup
Combine sugar with 3 cupfuls water, 3 pints best vinegar, 2 tablespoons whole cloves (heads removed), and some pieces cinnamon bark.
Bring mixture to a boil for 15 minutes.
Lay peaches into the boiling mixture.
Boil until peaches are tender enough to pierce with a straw (no longer).
Remove peaches with a perforated skimmer.
Pack and seal
Place peaches in jars.
Continue cooking syrup until somewhat thick.
Pour syrup over the peaches.
When cold, seal jars tightly.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| 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.
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.
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.
-
Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Vinegar + clovetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,386 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Vinegar + cinnamontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,187 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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 is softened and flavoured by the hot pickling syrup.
- Vinegar
- Provides the sharp acidity that gives the pickle its tang and helps preserve it.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Adds sweetness to balance the vinegar and helps thicken the syrup.
- Cloves
- Add warm, aromatic spice flavour to the syrup.
- Cinnamon
- Adds warm, sweet aromatic flavour to the syrup.
The step that matters
Boil until peaches are tender enough to pierce with a straw (no longer). Peaches continue to soften after leaving the heat, and overcooking breaks down their flesh so they turn mushy. Stopping when a straw just pierces them keeps the fruit intact while it absorbs the syrup.
Swap the cinnamon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, clove):
- Allspicefits better
- Cinnamonthe original
- Tarragonfits less well
- Cardamomfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, clove. 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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