Why it works: Sherry and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 22% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,141 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Jam Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
In a saucepan, combine the jam, sherry, and sugar.
Boil quickly for 20 minutes.
Strain the mixture and serve.
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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Sherry + sugartop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,141 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Jam
- Provides the main fruit flavour and sweetness, and thickens the sauce as it reduces.
- Sherry
- Adds liquid and a fortified wine aroma that deepens as the sauce boils.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the sauce reduce to a glossy, syrupy consistency.
The step that matters
Boil quickly for 20 minutes. A rapid boil drives off liquid so the sauce thickens and concentrates in flavour. Boiling too gently may leave it thin, while sugar can scorch if it sticks to the base of the pan.
“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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