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 ↓
Modern Cookery
Ingredients
Directions
Strain the currant juice into a clean, dry earthen pitcher and let it stand in a cool place for 24 hours or longer until perfectly curdled.
Pour the juice gently into a fine sieve and let it drain without pressure.
Weigh the juice and add an equal amount of sugar, broken into small pieces.
Dissolve the sugar in the juice, then transfer to a preserving pan and boil gently for 4 to 5 minutes, skimming off any scum.
After 12 hours, pour the syrup into small dry bottles, cork them, and store in a cool, dry place.
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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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
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