Why it works: Lemon and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,655 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Cherry Jam
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the jam
In a large pot, combine the pitted cherries, sugar, and lemon juice.
Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Increase heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Boil for about 10-15 minutes until the mixture thickens.
Remove from heat and stir in almond extract.
Jar and seal
Pour into sterilized jars and seal.
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 + almondtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,655 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Sugar + almondtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Cherries
- Provide the fruit base, flavour and most of the jam's bulk.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, as it dissolves and concentrates, helps it thicken and keep.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the fruit flavour and supports gel formation.
The step that matters
Boil until the mixture thickens. Cherries and sugar must reach a full rolling boil long enough to concentrate and set; undercooking leaves a runny jam, while overcooking can make it stiff and taste caramelised.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, almond):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, almond. 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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