Why it works: Apricot and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,630 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Apricot Jam
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Cut the apricots in half and remove the stones.
Cover the fruit with sugar and let it stand overnight.
Cook the jam
Boil gently until it reaches a setting point.
Add the blanched apricot kernels before finishing.
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.
-
Apricot + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,630 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Apricots
- Provide the fruit body, bulk and main flavour of the jam.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam, draws out juice, and helps it set and keep.
- Blanched apricot kernels
- Add a nutty, almond-like aroma and flavour to the finished jam.
The step that matters
Boil gently until it reaches a setting point. Sugar and the fruit's natural pectin only form a firm gel at a sufficiently high concentration. Too little cooking leaves the jam runny, while overcooking can darken its colour and flavour and make it stiff.
“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.
More apricot jam recipes
You might also like
Apricot Ice Cream26 recipes
Mixed Fruit Sherbet6 recipes
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.