Why it works: Butter and wine are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,645 recipes. Both carry 2-furfurylthiol, which smells coffee, roasted. The science ↓
Jelly Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Melt sugar and jelly in boiling water over low heat.
Add butter and stir until melted.
Dissolve cornstarch in water or wine, then stir into the mixture.
Bring to a boil, then set in a dish of hot water to keep warm, stirring occasionally.
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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Butter + winetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Sugar + winetop 31% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together9,581 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the liquid into a smooth sauce as it heats and gelatinizes.
- Jelly
- Provides sweetness and fruit flavor, and helps set the sauce's body.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, glossy mouthfeel to the sauce.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the tartness of the jelly.
The step that matters
Bring to a boil before holding warm. Cornstarch only thickens fully once it reaches a boil. Stirring it in cold and holding it warm without boiling can leave the sauce thin or lumpy.
“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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