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Apricots, Compote of

A sweet syrup of apricots simmered with sugar and water, served chilled with kernels.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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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 ↓

Apricots, Compote of

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Halve the apricots and remove the stones.

  2. Blanch the apricot kernels.

Poach

  1. In an enamelled stewpan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil.

  2. Add the apricots and simmer gently for a few minutes.

Arrange and serve

  1. Remove the apricots, drain them, and arrange them in a dish.

  2. Once the syrup is cold, pour it over the apricots.

  3. Place half a kernel on each piece of apricot.

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. Apricot + sugartop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked 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

Apricots
Provide the main fruit flavor and a soft, tender texture when gently simmered.
Loaf sugar
Sweetens the syrup and gives it body that coats the fruit.
Apricot kernels
Add a subtle almond-like aroma to the finished compote.

The step that matters

Simmer gently. A hard boil breaks down the apricots and makes them ragged. Gentle simmering softens the fruit while keeping its shape, and it lets the sugar syrup penetrate evenly.

“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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