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Quince Liqueur

A liqueur made from quince juice, cognac, sugar, bitter almonds, coriander seeds, and cloves.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Quince and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 164 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

Quince Liqueur

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the juice

  1. Grate enough quinces to make 2 quarts of juice and squeeze through a jelly bag.

Steep

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a demijohn.

  2. Shake well every day for 10 days.

Strain and bottle

  1. Strain the liquid through a jelly bag until perfectly clear.

  2. Bottle for use.

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.

  1. Quince + clovetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together164 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Quince + almondtop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together69 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

  3. Coriander + clovetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,221 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Almond + coriandertop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together563 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).

  5. Almond + clovetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,605 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Quince juice
Provides the fruit flavour and aroma that defines the liqueur.
Cognac brandy
Acts as the alcoholic base that extracts and preserves the fruit and spice flavours.
White sugar
Adds sweetness and balances the tartness of the quince and the alcohol.
Bitter almonds
Contribute a distinctive nutty, almond-like aroma and flavour to the liqueur.
Coriander seeds
Add a warm, citrusy spice aroma as the mixture steeps.

The step that matters

Strain until perfectly clear. Fine solids left in the liquid will keep the liqueur cloudy and can continue to affect its flavour. Straining slowly through a jelly bag lets the clear liquid pass while holding back the particles.

Swap the coriander

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (quince, cognac brandy, sugar, almond, clove):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Nutmegfits better
  3. Allspicefits better
  4. Corianderthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against quince, cognac brandy, sugar, almond, clove. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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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