Why it works: Sugar and red currant are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,156 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Ripe Gooseberry 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.
Prepare
Gather gooseberries in dry weather when they are fully ripe.
Weigh the gooseberries and cut off the tops and tails.
Cook the jam
In a large pot, combine the gooseberries, sugar, and red currant juice.
Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture thickens, about 20-30 minutes.
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.
-
Sugar + red curranttop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,156 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gooseberries
- Provide the main fruit flavour and natural pectin that helps the jam set.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the jam and helps preserve it while thickening as it cooks.
- Red currant juice
- Adds tartness and extra pectin to help the jam set.
The step that matters
Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture thickens. Jam sets as pectin, acid and sugar concentrate during boiling. Stopping too early leaves a runny jam, while overcooking can make it stiff and dull in flavour.
“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.
More gooseberry jam recipes
You might also like
Red Currant Jelly65 recipes
Currant Ice Cream32 recipes
Currant Sherbet9 recipes
Currant and Raspberry Ice7 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.