Why it works: Currant and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,057 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Currant Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the juice
Pick currants from the stalks and mash them thoroughly in a deep pan.
Strain the juice through a fine sieve.
Make the jelly
For every pint of juice, add 1 pound of loaf sugar to a preserving kettle.
If using, dissolve ½ ounce of isinglass in warm water and add it to the juice and sugar while cold.
Place the kettle over the fire and boil until it jellies, skimming continuously.
Pour the jelly into glasses or cups while warm.
Cover and store
Once cold, cover with brandy paper and tie securely.
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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Currant + brandytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,057 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Sugar and brandy barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Currants
- Provide the juice that sets into the jelly and supplies its tart, fruity flavour.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the juice and helps it set into a firm jelly when boiled.
- Isinglass
- Adds gelatinous setting power to help the jelly firm up.
The step that matters
Boil until it jellies, skimming continuously. Boiling concentrates the juice and sugar until the pectin in the fruit can set the mixture. Skimming removes foam and impurities so the jelly stays clear.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, brandy):
- Vanillafits better
- Apricotfits better
- Raisinfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, brandy. 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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