Why it works: Currant and sugar 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 ↓
Raspberry Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Extract the juice
Mash equal quantities of raspberries and currants in a kettle.
Bring the mixture slowly to a boil, stirring frequently.
Strain the mixture through a jelly bag.
Let it drip overnight.
Set aside the drips.
Press the fruit into another bowl for a less clear jelly.
Make the jelly
For each cup of fruit juice, add one cup of sugar and stir until dissolved.
Place the mixture over heat.
When it boils, draw back and skim.
Repeat boiling and skimming two more times.
Pour the jelly into sterilized glasses.
Place the jelly in a sunny window.
Cover with paraffin when firm.
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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Currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Currant and sugar 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
- Raspberries
- Provide the main flavour and aroma, and natural pectin and acid that help the jelly set.
- Currants
- Add tartness and natural pectin, helping the jelly set firmly and balance the sweetness.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the juice and, with the fruit's pectin and acid, helps the jelly set.
The step that matters
Skimming after each boil. Foam rises as the juice boils and, if left in, makes the jelly cloudy and can spoil its clarity. Removing it before the jelly sets keeps the finished jelly clear and clean-tasting.
“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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