Why it works: Sugar and lemon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Tipparee Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Clean and prick the tipparees.
Place them in a clean stewpan and cover with water.
Boil until all the juice has run out.
Strain the juice through fine muslin without crushing the fruit.
Make the jelly
Simmer the juice, removing any scum.
Gradually add white sugar to taste, skimming well.
When nearly ready, add the strained juice of 2 lemons.
Once the jelly is clear and the scum has ceased to rise, remove from heat.
Bottle
Bottle the jelly while warm and cork when completely cool.
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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Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Tipparees
- Provide the juice that sets into the jelly and gives its main flavour.
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the juice set into a jelly.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and supports setting.
The step that matters
Skim while simmering and sugaring. Scum rising during simmering and sugaring must be removed, or the jelly turns cloudy and less clear. Adding sugar gradually and skimming well keeps the finished jelly clear.
“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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