Why it works: Currant and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,057 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Currant-jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Stem and weigh the currants.
Measure an equal weight of sugar.
Cook the jam
Combine currants and sugar in a preserving kettle over medium heat.
Stir occasionally until the mixture boils.
Remove any scum that rises to the surface.
Boil the jam for 10 minutes once it starts boiling.
Partly cool the jam, then transfer it to glasses or jars.
Seal and store
Once completely cool, place a round of paper dipped in brandy on top of each jar.
Seal with paper dipped in slightly beaten egg white to keep air out.
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 + brandytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,057 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Brandy + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
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Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Currant + eggtop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,734 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Sugar and brandy barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 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
- Currants
- Provide the fruit flavour, natural pectin and acidity that give the jam its body and set.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, with the fruit's pectin and acid, helps it set and preserves it.
- Brandy
- Its alcohol helps discourage mould on the paper seal that sits on the jam.
- Egg white
- Dries into a thin airtight film that keeps air away from the jam surface.
The step that matters
Remove any scum that rises to the surface. Scum is foam and impurities that rise as the fruit boils; leaving it in can cloud the jam and affect its texture and keeping quality.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, brandy, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Apricotfits about as well
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, brandy, 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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