Why it works: Sugar and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Apricots Jellied
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Drain canned apricots, reserving the juice.
Strain the apricot juice, ensuring you have 1 quart.
Drain canned, peeled apricots from their liquor.
Make the gelatin
In a saucepan, combine 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup gelatin with a point of water.
Add a little lemon juice or extract to gelatin if liked.
Soak 1/2 box gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water.
Dissolve gelatin in 1 cup boiling water.
Add 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 1/2 cup liquor from apricots.
Turn the strained juice over the gelatin and strain again.
Strain the mixture and pour into a mold to a depth of 1/4 inch.
Layer and set
Pour the mixture into a mold or molds and add apricots.
Let the mixture harden in a pan of ice water.
Add halves of apricots, placing a blanched and delicately toasted almond in the stone cavity of each, cut side down.
Cover with mixture.
Let stand to harden.
Add another layer of apricots and remainder of mixture.
Chill thoroughly.
Serve
Turn onto serving platter and serve with apricot sauce.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
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 + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Gelatin
- Sets the liquid into a firm, sliceable jelly as it cools.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and balances the tartness of the fruit juices.
- Apricots (in the method)
- Provide the fruit flavour and pieces suspended in the set jelly.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the apricot flavour.
- Orange juice
- Adds extra citrus flavour and acidity to the mixture.
The step that matters
Let each layer harden before adding the next. Gelatin sets as it cools and firms only when chilled. If fruit is added over liquid that has not set, the pieces can float or sink, and the layers may blend instead of separating cleanly.
“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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