Why it works: Sugar and cherry are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 20% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,598 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Jam of Morello Cherries
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the cherries
Stone the cherries and weigh them.
Heat the cherries slowly to draw out the juice.
Make the jam
Boil the cherries quickly for 20 minutes over a clear fire.
Gradually add 2 cups of sugar, beaten to powder, and stir until dissolved.
Boil the jam for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, skimming off any scum.
If desired, add a few blanched and dried cherry kernels 2 minutes before pouring out the jam.
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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Sugar + cherrytop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,598 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Morello cherries
- Provide the fruit, pectin and acidity that give the jam its flavour and body.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps it set to a spreadable thickness as it cooks.
The step that matters
Adding the sugar. Sugar added to hot fruit can scorch on the pan base if not stirred, and it must fully dissolve before the long boil so the jam sets evenly and does not turn grainy.
“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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