Why it works: Red currant and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,156 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Cherry Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the juice
Combine the pitted cherries and seeded red currants.
Extract and filter the juice from the fruits.
Make the jelly
Mix the juice with ¾ pound of clarified sugar and 1 ounce of isinglass.
Heat the mixture on the stove and add 1½ pounds of boiled sugar.
Boil together a few times, then pour the conserve into containers.
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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Red currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,156 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cherries
- Provide the main fruit flavor and the bulk of the juice for the jelly.
- Red currants
- Add tartness and extra natural pectin to help the jelly set.
- Isinglass
- Acts as a gelling agent that sets the juice into a firm jelly when cooled.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and helps it set firm and hold its shape.
The step that matters
Boil together a few times. Sugar and isinglass must be fully dissolved and boiled enough to reach the setting point. Under-boiling leaves the jelly runny, while overboiling can make it stiff or cloudy.
“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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