Why it works: Grape and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,490 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Fox Grape Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pulp
Wash the green fox grapes and place them in a preserving kettle with just enough water to cover them.
Cook until tender, then mash and strain through a sieve to remove seeds and skin.
Add 1 pound of white sugar to each pint of pulp.
Set the jelly
Dissolve 1 inch square of isinglass in warm water.
Stir the dissolved isinglass and sugar into the pulp.
Place the kettle over the fire.
Boil for 15 to 20 minutes, testing by dropping a little into cold water; if it falls to the bottom, the jelly is done.
Pass the mixture through a jelly bag.
Pot and seal
Pour into glasses while warm.
Let stand until the next day before sealing.
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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Grape + sugartop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,490 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
- Green fox grapes
- Provide the fruit pulp and natural pectin that help the jelly set.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the jelly set and keep its body when boiled.
- Isinglass
- A gelatin-like agent that gives the jelly its firm, set texture.
The step that matters
Boiling until done. Boiling must concentrate the sugar and pectin enough for the jelly to set. Under-boiling leaves it runny, while over-boiling can make it stiff or cause sugar to crystallise. The cold-water test shows when it is ready.
“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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