Why it works: Plum and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,313 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Cherry Plum Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove the stalks from the plums and rub them with a damp towel.
Make the jam
In a preserving pan, combine the sugar and cold water, stirring until boiling.
Add the plums and stir until boiling again.
Skim the mixture well and boil quickly for 30 minutes.
Draw the pan to one side and let the jam cool for 10 minutes before transferring it to jars.
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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Plum + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,313 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
- Plums
- Provide the fruit, pectin and acidity that give the jam its body and tang.
- Lump sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, with boiling, helps it set and keep well.
The step that matters
Skim the mixture well and boil quickly for 30 minutes. Skimming removes foam and scum that would cloud the jam and spoil its flavour. A rapid boil evaporates water and concentrates the sugar and fruit pectin so the jam sets properly rather than staying runny.
“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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