Why it works: Lemon and coriander match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,498 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Wine Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Make the liquid
Combine water, sugar, gelatine, juice, finely grated rind of orange and lemon, and coriander seeds in a saucepan. Let soak until gelatine softens.
Whisk egg whites and shells together, then add to the mixture. Whisk over medium heat until boiling.
Clarify and set
Simmer gently for 10 minutes, then strain through a hot jelly bag or cloth until clear.
Pour the clear liquid into a wet mold and let set.
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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Lemon + coriandertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,498 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Orange + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,634 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Orange + coriandertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together674 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Sherry + orangetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together823 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
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Sherry + lemontop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,273 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gelatine
- Sets the liquid into a firm, sliceable jelly as it cools.
- Egg whites
- Coagulate as the liquid heats, trapping impurities so the jelly can be strained clear.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and adds body to the set.
- Orange and lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the sweetness.
- Sherry or marsala wine
- Adds aroma and depth of flavour to the jelly.
The step that matters
Simmer gently, then strain while hot. The egg whites form a raft that filters out cloudiness as the liquid simmers. Boiling hard breaks up the raft and leaves the jelly cloudy, so keep the heat low and strain through a hot cloth until clear.
Swap the coriander
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sherry, sugar, orange, lemon, egg):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Thymefits better
- Corianderthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sherry, sugar, orange, lemon, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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