Name: Stewed Dried Fruits
Ingredients: Dried apples; Dried cherries; Dried peaches; Dried pears; Dried pie-plant

Why it works: Apple and pear match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 649 recipes. Both carry isoamyl acetate, which smells banana, fruity. The science ↓

Stewed Dried Fruits

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.

Soak the dried fruits in water for several hours or overnight.
Drain the fruits and place them in a pot.
Add enough water to cover the fruits and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until the fruits are tender, about 20-30 minutes.
Sweeten to taste if desired, then serve warm.

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.

Apple + peartop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together649 recipes

Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
Peach + peartop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together114 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Apple + peachtop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together303 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).