Name: Compote of Figs
Ingredients: 1 pint figs; brandy; whipped cream

Why it works: Fig and brandy work together. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 222 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Compote of Figs

Ingredients

1 pint figs
brandy
whipped cream

Directions

Scald the figs and soak them overnight in brandy.
Arrange the figs on a platter.
Serve with whipped cream or additional brandy.

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.

Fig + brandytop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together222 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Brandy + creamtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together2,635 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Fig + creamtop 26% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together523 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).