Why it works: Clove and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,386 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Pontac Catsup for Fish
Ingredients
Directions
Steep the elderberries
On one pint of ripe elderberries stripped from the stalks, pour three quarters of a pint of boiling vinegar, and let it stand in a cool oven all night.
The next day strain off the liquid without pressure.
Boil and bottle
Boil it for five minutes with a half-teaspoonful of salt, a small piece of ginger, a blade of mace, forty corns of pepper, twelve cloves and four shallots.
Bottle it with the spice when it is quite cold.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
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 + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,386 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ripe elderberries
- Provide the main fruit flavour and body of the catsup.
- Vinegar
- Acidic liquid that draws flavour out of the elderberries and gives the catsup its sharp tang.
The step that matters
Strain without pressure. Pressing the soaked elderberries forces fine solids and pulp through the strainer, which makes the liquid cloudy and can add harsh bitter notes. Letting it drip keeps the catsup clear and smooth.
“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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