Why it works: Plum and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,313 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Damson Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the juice
Extract juice from the damsons and plums using your preferred method.
Strain and weigh the juice.
Cook the jam
Boil the juice for 20 minutes.
Add 12 ounces of sugar for each pound of juice and continue boiling.
Remove any foam that forms on the surface.
Stir frequently before and after adding sugar to prevent sticking.
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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Plum + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,313 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Damsons
- Provide the tart flavour and natural pectin that help the jam set.
- Red plums
- Add extra juice, mild acidity and natural pectin to support setting.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam, binds water and helps it set and keep.
The step that matters
Stirring while adding sugar. Sugar makes the mixture thick and hot, so fruit easily sticks to the base of the pan and scorches. Stirring before and after adding the sugar keeps the jam moving and evenly heated, protecting its flavour and colour.
“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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