Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Spiced Currants
Ingredients
Directions
Make the preserve
Combine the fruit, sugar, cider vinegar, ground cinnamon, and cloves.
Put the mixture into a kettle and boil until the fruit is soft.
Skim out the fruit, placing it on dishes until the syrup is boiled down thick.
Return the fruit to the syrup and heat through.
Seal and store
Seal the hot mixture in glass jars and set them in a cool, dark place.
Any tart fruit may be preserved in this way and is a good embellishment for cold meats.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Fruit | not in our table | 0 |
| Cider | 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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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,431 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
-
Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Cider + clovetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,683 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Sugar
- Sweetens the fruit and, boiled down, thickens the syrup into a preserve.
- Cider vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and helps balance the sweetness.
- Ground cinnamon
- Adds warm, sweet spice aroma to the fruit and syrup.
- Cloves
- Adds pungent, warm spice aroma that deepens the flavour of the syrup.
The step that matters
Boiling the syrup down thick. Fruit is removed first so it does not overcook and turn mushy while the syrup reduces. Sugar concentration rises as water evaporates, which thickens the syrup and helps the preserve set and keep once sealed.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, cider, vinegar, cinnamon):
- Allspicefits about as well
- Clovethe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Cardamomfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, cider, vinegar, cinnamon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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