Why it works: Currant and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,180 recipes. Both carry gamma-nonanolactone, which smells coconut, creamy. The science ↓
Red Currants Put Up with Oranges and Raisins
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the fruit
Combine three-fourths pound sugar with one pound currants.
Add two pounds of raisins and six oranges to ten pounds currants.
Let currants cook for twenty minutes.
Add the rest
Add raisins (use best raisins).
Cook a little longer and add sugar.
Let the mixture come to a boil.
Finish
Just before taking off the stove, add oranges.
Peel the oranges and separate into parts, removing all seeds.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
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.
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Currant + raisintop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,180 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
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Raisin + orangetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,684 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Currant + orangetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,034 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together19,212 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and orange barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,212 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
- Currants
- Provide the main body and tart, fruity flavor of the compote.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps thicken the fruit as it cooks.
- Raisins
- Add concentrated sweetness and a chewy, soft texture.
- Oranges
- Add bright citrus acidity and fresh aroma to balance the sweetness.
The step that matters
Add the oranges just before taking off the stove. Citrus aroma and bright acidity fade with prolonged heat, and the segments soften and break down if cooked for long. Adding them last keeps their flavor fresh and their texture intact.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, raisin, orange):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Lemonfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, raisin, orange. 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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