Why it works: Brandy and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,340 recipes. Both carry acetoin, which smells butter, cream. The science ↓
Raspberry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Make the jam
Boil the raspberries with a small amount of water for a few minutes.
Add the sugar and boil for 45 minutes, stirring well.
Jar and seal
Fill small jars or glasses with the jam.
Cover the jars with papers soaked in brandy.
Seal with another layer of papers moistened with egg whites, pressing them against the sides to exclude air.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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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).
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
- Raspberries
- Provide the main fruit flavour and the bulk of the jam.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, with boiling, thickens the fruit and helps preserve it.
- Egg whites
- Dry to form a sealing layer that keeps air away from the jam.
The step that matters
Pressing the egg-white papers against the sides of the jar. Any gap lets air reach the surface of the jam, and air exposure allows mould and spoilage to develop. Pressing the papers flat against the glass removes air pockets so the seal stays airtight.
“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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