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Dessert

Compote De Oroseilles

A compote made with currants or Siberian crabs and sugar syrup.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Frances Crawford · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Why it works: Sugar and currant are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes. The science ↓

Compote De Oroseilles

Ingredients

Directions

Make the currant compote

  1. Make a strong syrup.

  2. Wash and drain a pound of fine currants; leave them in bunches if desired.

  3. Boil the currants in the syrup two or three times.

  4. Remove the currants from the heat.

  5. Let the currants cool slightly.

  6. Skim the currants.

  7. Arrange the currants in a compotier with the syrup over them.

Prepare the crabs

  1. Take a pound of Siberian crabs not quite ripe.

  2. Split each crab to remove the seeds.

  3. Throw the crabs into water that is ready to boil.

  4. When the crabs begin to discolor, throw in half a glass of cold water.

  5. Let the crabs cool in the same water to green them.

  6. Make a syrup with six ounces of sugar and a glass of water.

  7. Put the crabs in the syrup and boil up two or three times.

  8. Arrange the crabs in the compotier.

  9. Reduce the syrup.

  10. Skim the syrup clear.

  11. Pour the syrup over the fruit.

Finish and serve

  1. The crabs are better whole; take out the pip-pins with a sharp penknife.

  2. Serve hot or cold.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

111Calories
1 gProtein
0 gFat
29 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Frances Crawford. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Sugar + curranttop 26% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together12,256 recipes

Sugar and currant barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,256 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
Main fruit; its natural acidity and pectin give the compote its tart flavour and body.
Sugar
Sweetens the syrup and balances the tartness of the fruit.
Siberian crabs (in the method)
Tart, firm-fleshed fruit that adds sharpness and holds its shape when cooked gently.

The step that matters

Boil the crabs in the syrup only two or three times. Prolonged boiling softens the fruit until it breaks apart. Short boils let the syrup soak in while the crab pieces keep their shape and look clear.

“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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