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
If the apricots are dry, place them in an earthen pan and add a little boiling water.
Beat the apricots to a pulp.
Make the jam
Combine equal parts of the apricot pulp and powdered sugar in a preserving kettle.
Boil the mixture hard for about 20 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.
Jar and seal
If desired, blanch some apricot kernels and place them on top of the jars before sealing.
Cover the jars with brandy paper and tie them closely.
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.
-
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 pulp that gives the jam its flavour and body.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, with boiling, thickens it and helps preserve it.
The step that matters
Boiling the mixture hard. Sugar and fruit must reach a hard boil and be stirred often so the jam thickens and does not scorch or stick to the kettle. Sugar concentration and heat together set the jam.
“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.
More apricot jam recipes
You might also like
Apricot Ice Cream26 recipes
Mixed Fruit Sherbet6 recipes
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.