Why it works: Apricot and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,630 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Apricot Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Weigh equal amounts of pared apricots and sugar.
Add just enough water to wet the mixture.
Cook and pot
Boil quickly to prevent spoiling the color.
Blanch the kernels from the apricots.
Cook for 20 to 30 minutes.
Pour into small pots or cups, filling them halfway.
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.
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Apricot + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,630 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pared apricots
- Provide the fruit flavor and most of the body of the cheese.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, as it thickens with the fruit, helps the mixture firm up as it sets.
The step that matters
Boil quickly. Prolonged heat darkens fruit by browning and caramelizing its sugars. A fast boil shortens cooking time, which helps keep the apricots a bright, pale color.
“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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