Why it works: Syrup and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,235 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Damson- Water Ice
Ingredients
Directions
Make the damson base
In a preserving pan, heat 1 pint of syrup.
Add 1 quart of damsons and simmer gently until well done.
Pass the mixture through a sieve.
Flavour and freeze
Stir in the juice of 1-2 lemons and 3-4 drops of Noyau.
Freeze the mixture, stirring well to achieve a smooth texture.
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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Syrup + lemontop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,235 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Damsons
- Provide the fruit pulp and tart flavour that form the body of the ice.
- Syrup
- Adds sweetness and, once frozen, helps keep the ice soft rather than rock-hard.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the fruit flavour and balances the sweetness.
The step that matters
Freeze the mixture, stirring well to achieve a smooth texture.. Stirring during freezing breaks up ice crystals as they form, so the ice stays smooth instead of becoming coarse and icy. Sugar and fruit pulp also lower the freezing point, so the mixture stays partly slushy and needs regular stirring to set 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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