Why it works: Cinnamon and clove 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 ↓
Pear Pickle
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pears
Select small, sound pears, remove the blossom end, and stick them with a fork.
Make the pickle
Add one pint of cider vinegar and one cup of sugar to each quart of pears.
Add a teaspoonful of allspice, cinnamon, and cloves to the mixture.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Add the pears to the boiling mixture and boil.
Seal the jars.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground (1.9g) | 5 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Cider | 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.
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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Allspice + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Allspice + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,536 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,431 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Pears (in the method)
- Form the main body of the pickle, taking on flavor from the syrup as they cook.
- Cider vinegar
- Provides the acidity that gives the pickle its sharp, tangy character and helps preserve it.
- Sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the vinegar and adds sweetness to the syrup.
- Allspice
- Adds warm, aromatic spice flavor to the syrup.
- Cinnamon
- Adds warm, sweet aromatic flavor to the syrup.
- Cloves
- Adds strong, aromatic spice flavor to the syrup.
The step that matters
Boiling the pears in the syrup. Pears must be heated long enough to absorb the syrup and become tender, but overcooking breaks them down into mush. Keeping the boil steady and checking tenderness helps the fruit hold its shape while taking on flavor.
“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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