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
Prepare the fruit
Remove larger stalks and leaves from the currants and raspberries, then wash the currants in cold water.
Combine currants, raspberries, and water in a jelly pan and heat gradually to boiling, stirring frequently.
Boil gently for about 10 minutes, then pour the mixture into a flannel jelly bag to drain until all juice has run out.
Make the jelly
Measure the juice and add 1 lb of sugar for each pint, plus an additional ½ lb.
Heat the mixture on the stove, stirring frequently until it boils, then boil for 5 minutes.
Skim off any foam and pour the jelly into clean jars immediately, covering with paper and paste.
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 the main fruit flavour and natural pectin that helps the jelly set.
- Raspberries
- Add aroma and fruity flavour to the jelly.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and helps it set firm and keep well.
The step that matters
Boiling the sugar and juice. The mixture must reach a full rolling boil and boil for the stated time so enough water evaporates and the pectin and sugar can set the jelly. Undercooking leaves it runny; overcooking can make it stiff or dull.
“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.