Why it works: Apricot and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,630 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Apricot Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Pour boiling water over the apricots to remove the skins.
Cut the apricots into small pieces.
Crack the pits, blanch the kernels, and chop them very fine.
Cook the jam
Boil the fruit for 30 minutes, then add the sugar.
When cooked, stir in the chopped kernels.
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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Apricot + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,630 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Apricots
- Provide the fruit, pectin and acidity that give the jam its body and flavour.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps it set into a thick, spreadable texture.
- Apricot kernels
- Add a subtle almond-like aroma and nutty flavour to the jam.
The step that matters
Boil the fruit for 30 minutes, then add the sugar. Sugar added to fruit that is still firm and cooking can toughen the skins and slow softening, while adding it too early or cooking too briefly can leave the jam runny. Sugar also concentrates as water evaporates, which helps the jam reach a set.
“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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