Why it works: Sugar and sherry are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 22% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,141 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Jam Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Combine jam, sugar, and sherry in a saucepan.
Boil quickly for 20 minutes.
Strain the mixture and serve.
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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Sugar + sherrytop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,141 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Jam
- Provides the main fruit flavour and sweetness in the sauce.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the sauce thicken as it reduces.
- Sherry
- Adds liquid and a fortified wine aroma that deepens as it cooks.
The step that matters
Boil quickly for 20 minutes. A fast boil reduces the liquid and concentrates the sugar and fruit flavour. Boiling too gently may leave the sauce thin, while over-reduction can make it overly sweet or sticky.
“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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