Why it works: Peach and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 466 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Peach Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Mash the peeled and pitted peaches in a pan over medium heat until hot.
Rub the mixture through a sieve to obtain the pulp.
Add the sugar and pounded almonds to the pulp.
Boil the mixture for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently and skimming off any foam.
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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Peach + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together466 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Peach + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,308 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + almondtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Peaches
- Provide the fruit pulp that forms the jam's body and main flavor.
- White sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, as it cooks down, helps it thicken and keep.
- Bitter almonds
- Add a distinct almond aroma that complements the peach flavor.
The step that matters
Boiling and skimming. Boiling concentrates the pulp and sugar so the jam thickens, but it must be stirred to keep it from scorching on the bottom of the pan. Skimming removes foam so the jam looks clear and tastes clean.
“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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