Why it works: Currant and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes. The science ↓
Preserved Cherries
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Take fifteen pounds of ripe cherries, free from defects.
Take the stones out, and cut off the stalks.
Take two pounds of currants and one pound of raspberries, squeeze out the juice, and add the cherries to the preserving pan.
Cook and pot
Boil them on a quick fire.
Add three-quarters of a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit.
Let it simmer for an hour.
Put the jam into pots.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Fruit | 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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Currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Currant and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,256 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
- Cherries (in the method)
- Provide the main fruit body and flavor of the preserve.
- Currants
- Add natural pectin and tartness that help the preserve set.
- Sugar
- Preserves the fruit and thickens it as the mixture cooks down.
The step that matters
Adding the sugar. Sugar draws water out of the fruit and helps it set into a thick preserve. Adding it to fruit that is still hot and boiling helps it dissolve evenly, so the mixture thickens without scorching on the base of 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.
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