Why it works: Molasses and brandy work together. They rank in the top 25% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 721 recipes. The science ↓
Elderberry Syrup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and cook
Wash and strain the elderberries.
Combine the elderberry juice and molasses in a pot.
Boil for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
Let the mixture cool.
Finish and bottle
Add 1 pint of French brandy for each quart of syrup.
Bottle and cork tightly.
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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Molasses + brandytop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together721 recipes
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Elderberries
- Provide the main fruit flavor and deep color of the syrup.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, body, and a dark, rich flavor to the syrup.
- French brandy
- Adds alcohol, which helps preserve the syrup and adds aroma.
The step that matters
Boil for 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Molasses is rich in sugar and can scorch quickly on the bottom of a pot. Constant stirring spreads the heat evenly and prevents burnt flavors.
“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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