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Oranges, Compote of

A compote of peeled orange pieces simmered in a syrup made from orange rind.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Why it works: Orange and syrup are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,179 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Oranges, Compote of

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the oranges

  1. Peel the oranges and remove as much of the white pith as possible.

  2. Divide the oranges into small pieces without breaking the skin.

Make the syrup

  1. Make the syrup by adding the rind of the orange cut into thin strips.

  2. Skim the syrup until clear.

  3. Add the orange pieces to the syrup.

  4. Simmer for 5 minutes.

  5. Carefully remove the oranges with a spoon.

  6. Arrange them on a glass dish.

  7. Reduce the syrup by boiling until thick.

Finish and serve

  1. Let the syrup cool slightly.

  2. Pour the syrup over the oranges.

  3. Allow to cool completely before serving.

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.

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. Orange + syruptop 23% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,179 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Oranges
Provide the fruit pieces and aromatic peel that flavor the compote.
Syrup
Carries sweetness and moisture, and thickens as it reduces to coat the fruit.

The step that matters

Reduce the syrup by boiling until thick. Boiling evaporates water and concentrates sugar, so the syrup becomes thick and glossy. If it is under-reduced it will stay thin and runny, and if over-boiled it can turn overly sticky or caramelize.

“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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