Why it works: Apricot and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,630 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Green Apricot Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Make the ash water
Boil a small quantity of wood ashes in water, skimming off any charcoal bits.
Let the water stand, then draw off the clear liquid.
Clean the apricots
Boil the clear liquid again and add the apricots to remove their down.
Once the down comes off easily, remove from heat and cool the apricots in cold water.
Rub the apricots clean with a cloth.
Alternatively, roll apricots in salt in a towel until the down comes off, then wash in water.
Cook and sieve
Boil the washed apricots until soft enough to crush between your fingers.
Strain and pound the apricots in a mortar, then pass through a fine sieve.
Dry the pulp
Put the pulp in a pan over heat and dry until it begins to stick.
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.
-
Apricot + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,630 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
- Apricots
- Provide the fruit pulp, flavour and natural pectin that give the jam its body.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, with the fruit, helps the jam set and keep.
The step that matters
Drying the pulp until it begins to stick. Evaporating water thickens the pulp and concentrates the fruit and sugar so the jam sets. Stopping too early leaves it runny, while going too far can scorch it on the pan.
“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.
More apricot jam recipes
You might also like
Apricot Ice Cream26 recipes
Mixed Fruit Sherbet6 recipes
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipesThe 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.