Why it works: Rose and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 25% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,584 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Conserve of Roses
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the roses
Remove the white parts from the bottom of the red roses.
Shred the roses slightly and place them in a pot with 1 pint of water.
Cook and store
Cover and simmer until the leaves are tender.
Add 3 times the weight of the roses in sugar.
Stir continuously to prevent burning and ensure the syrup does not evaporate.
Store the conserve for later use.
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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Rose + sugartop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,584 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Red roses
- Provide the main flavour and aroma, and the colour of the finished preserve.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the preserve and thickens the syrup, helping it keep.
The step that matters
Stirring continuously after the sugar goes in. As water evaporates, a sugar-rich syrup can scorch on the base of the pot, giving a burnt taste and dark colour. Constant stirring spreads the heat evenly and keeps the syrup from sticking.
“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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