Why it works: Grape and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,490 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Grapes, Green, to Preserve
Ingredients
Directions
Select the largest and best grapes before they are fully ripe.
Stone and scald the grapes, then let them soak in the scalding water for two days.
Drain the grapes and place them in a thin syrup.
Heat the grapes over low heat.
The next day, transfer the grapes to a pan and heat them again, then drain.
Put the grapes into clarified sugar, boil them, skim off any foam, and set aside.
The following day, boil more sugar until it reaches a souffle stage, then add it to the grapes.
Boil the mixture again, skim, and place it in a warm oven overnight.
The next day, drain the grapes and lay them out to dry, dusting them well.
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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Grape + sugartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,490 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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