Why it works: Apple and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,478 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Apple Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Cook tart apples until very tender.
Stir the apples thoroughly to remove all lumps.
Dissolve gelatine in warm water.
Add sugar to taste and the dissolved gelatine to the apples.
Set and serve
Pour the mixture into a mold and refrigerate until cold.
Turn out onto a plate to serve.
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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Apple + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together16,478 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Apple and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 16,478 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tart apples
- Provide the main body, tartness and flavour of the sauce.
- Gelatine
- Sets the sauce into a firm shape so it holds when turned out.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness to balance the tart apples.
The step that matters
Add the dissolved gelatine to the apples. Gelatine must be fully dissolved in warm water before it is added, otherwise it can form lumps or specks instead of setting evenly. The sauce should also be well stirred so it sets smoothly and holds its shape when turned out.
“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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