Why it works: Syrup and red currant work together. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 76 recipes. The science ↓
Red-currant Water Ice
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the juice
Press and strain the red currants and raspberries to obtain the juice.
Alternatively, simmer the fruits with a little more than ½ cup water in a copper pan for a few minutes, then press through a cloth.
Adjust and freeze
Mix the currant juice and syrup in a basin.
Use a saccharometer to check that the mixture measures 24 degrees.
If too thin, add more syrup; if too thick, add water to reach 24 degrees.
Proceed with freezing as directed.
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.
-
Syrup + red curranttop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together76 recipes
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Red currants
- Provide the main tart flavour and the juice that forms the water ice.
- Raspberries
- Add aroma and a softer fruit flavour to the currant juice.
- Syrup
- Supplies sugar that sweetens the ice and keeps it soft after freezing.
The step that matters
Checking the mixture at 24 degrees. Sugar content controls how the ice freezes. Too little sugar makes a hard, icy block, while too much keeps it from freezing firmly. Measuring with a saccharometer and correcting with syrup or water keeps the balance right.
“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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Orange Syrup47 recipes
Orgeat Syrup13 recipes
Simple Syrup13 recipes
Black Currant Cordial11 recipes