Why it works: Plum and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,313 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Gooseberry, or Plum Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Stew the berries in a little water.
Press the mixture through a coarse sieve or colander.
Cook and jar
Return the pulped fruit to the kettle and add sugar.
Boil for 30 minutes, stirring constantly.
Pour into jars or bowls and cover as directed for other jams.
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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Plum + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,313 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gooseberries or plums
- Provide the fruit pulp, plus natural pectin and acid that help the jam set.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and thickens the jam, helping it set and keep.
The step that matters
Stirring constantly while boiling. As water evaporates, the sugar and fruit concentrate and can scorch on the base of the kettle. Constant stirring keeps the mixture even and prevents burnt flavour.
“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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