Why it works: Clove and cinnamon 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 ↓
Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the stock
Divide the calves' feet into four pieces at the joints and saw the bones in two.
Place the pieces in a stewpan and cover with cold water.
Bring to a boil to blanch, then remove from heat.
Wash in cold water and discard the blanching water.
Wash the stewpan.
Return the pieces and cover with 2 quarts and 1 pint of cold water.
Bring to a boil.
Skim off any scum that rises.
Let it simmer for about 6 hours.
Strain the stock through a fine sieve.
Let it cool overnight.
Remove any fat from the top of the cooled stock.
Make the jelly
In a stewpan, combine the stock with the lemon rind, lemon juice, sugar, cloves, and cinnamon.
Add the egg whites and crushed shells, stirring well over heat until the jelly boils.
Remove from heat and cover loosely.
Let it sit for 20 minutes without stirring.
Prepare a jelly bag by dipping it in hot water and wringing it dry, then drain the jelly through the bag.
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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Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Lemon + cinnamontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Lemon + clovetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,150 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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
- Calves' feet
- Release collagen into the stock, which sets into gelatin as it cools.
- Egg whites
- Collect impurities as they cook, leaving the finished jelly clearer.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens flavour and helps the jelly set.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the sharpness of the lemon.
The step that matters
Letting the egg whites clarify the jelly. Stir gently but steadily until the jelly boils, then leave it undisturbed. Stirring after the whites have set into the liquid breaks up the clarifying raft, and the jelly stays cloudy.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, clove, cinnamon, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, clove, cinnamon, egg. 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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