Why it works: Currant and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,256 recipes. The science ↓
Red Currant Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Extract the juice
Heat the currants and raspberries in a pan, stirring well.
Strain the mixture to extract the juice.
Cook the jelly
For each pint of juice, add 2 cups of sugar.
Bring the juice to a boil, then add the sugar.
Allow it to boil again, then boil for 3 more minutes.
Skim off any foam that forms.
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.
-
Currant + sugartop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,256 recipes
Currant and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 12,256 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
- Currants
- Provide natural pectin for setting and a tart, bright flavor.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the juice set into a firm gel.
- Raspberries
- Add fruity flavor and aroma to the juice.
The step that matters
Boil again after adding the sugar. The sugar must dissolve and the juice must reach the gel point to set. Boiling too briefly leaves the jelly runny, while boiling too long can make it stiff and dull in flavor.
“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.
You might also like
Currant Ice Cream32 recipes
Currant Sherbet9 recipes
Currant and Raspberry Ice7 recipes
White Cake431 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.