Why it works: Orange and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Orange Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Add the grated rind of 2 oranges to 6 tablespoons currant jelly and 1 tablespoon white sugar.
Beat for 5 minutes.
Add the juice of oranges and 1 lemon, mix well together and strain.
Add 2 tablespoons port or sherry to improve the sauce.
Serve
Serve with roast fowl.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Currant | 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.
-
Orange + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,634 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Currant + orangetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,034 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
-
Currant + lemontop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,270 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Currant jelly
- Provides sweetness and body, giving the sauce its thick, glossy texture.
- Orange juice
- Adds fruity acidity and moisture that balances the sweetness of the jelly.
- Orange rind
- Contributes aromatic citrus oils for fragrance and flavour.
- Lemon
- Adds sharp acidity that brightens the sauce and cuts the sweetness.
- Port
- Adds depth and richness to the flavour of the sauce.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (orange, lemon):
- Limefits better
- Mangofits better
- Blackberryfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against orange, lemon. 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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