Why it works: Sugar and currant 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 ↓
Red Currant Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the juice
Wash currants, drain them, pick them from stalks.
Mash with back of spoon.
Put them in a jelly‑bag and squeeze until all juice is pressed out.
Make the jelly
To every pint of juice, add a pound of best loaf‑sugar.
Put juice and sugar into kettle, boil twenty minutes, skimming all the while.
Pour warm into glasses, and when cold, tie up with brandy paper.
Alternative method
Put currants whole into kettle with sugar, using a pound of sugar to a pound of currants.
Boil together twenty minutes, skimming carefully.
Pour them into a sieve with a pan under it.
Let them drain through the sieve into the pan, pressing them down with back of spoon.
Take the jelly while warm out of pan, put into glasses.
Tie up with brandy paper when cold.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + curranttop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Sugar and currant 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
- Currants
- Provide the juice that sets into the jelly and give it their tart, fruity flavour.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and helps it set firm by binding water and concentrating the juice.
The step that matters
Skimming during the boil. Skimming removes foam and scum that rise while the juice boils. Leaving it in can cloud the jelly and spoil its clear appearance and 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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