Cherry Pear Conserve Food

CHERRY PEAR CONSERVE

Steps:

• Grate peel from lemons and limes; set peel aside. Remove pith from lemons and limes; section the fruit and place in a large bowl. Add lemon and lime peel, pears, cherries, pineapple, raisins and sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight. , Transfer to a large kettle or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat for 50-60 minutes or until thickened. Stir in nuts; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Immediately ladle into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Adjust caps. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

PEAR CONSERVE WITH CHERRIES AND HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Peel, core, and cut pears into 1/2 inch cubes. There should be about 4 cups of fruit.
• Combine pears, dried cherries, vinegar, sugar, ginger, pepper, and salt in a heavy large saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, and cool to room temperature. Cover, and refrigerate overnight. Can be prepared 4 days ahead.
• Toast hazelnuts at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) on an ungreased baking sheet for 5 to 8 minutes. Husk the nuts, and chop coarsely. Stir into pear conserve. Serve at room temperature.

PEAR CONSERVE

Steps:

• Peel, halve and core your pears.
• Dice the pears finely, but not as small as brunoise. I am not going to go into detail here, but one thing I must say is keep your peeled pears submerged in a bowl of water and lemon juice so that they do not oxidize (turn brown).
• In a large, non-reactive (glass, plastic, ceramic) container, layer the sugar and the diced pears. Start with a thin layer of sugar on the bottom and end with sugar covering the top.
• Drizzle the lemon juice over the top layer.
• Close this container tightly and refrigerate overnight (for at least 18 and up to 24 hours).
• Next day, pour out the pears and the syrup they have formed into a deep pot.
• Scrape out the bottom layer of sugar into your pot as well.
• Bring this mix to a boil over high heat, uncovered, stirring.
• When the conserve is quite hot but not boiling, add the pear brandy. It should boil all at once. Stir well.
• Boil the conserve to thicken it and expel alcohol. For true, syrupy conserve, do not overcook. Boil for a scant 3 - 5 minutes. The conserve is done.
• The conserve can be waterbath canned. Properly prepared 6 - 8 oz glass containers should be processed for 10 minutes.

PEAR CRANBERRY CONSERVE

Steps:

• In a 6 qt saucepan combine pears, cranberries, sugar, water, lemon juice, orange peel, cinnamon and allspice. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil gently, stirring frequently, for 20-25 min or until the mixture is thickened and sheets off a metal spoon. (Dip a metal spoon in the boiling mixture and it will slide off in sheets rather then dip off - if its the right consistency).
• Ladle hot mixture into jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Wipe off rims and adjust lids till finger tight.
• Process jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

PRETTY PEAR PRESERVES

Steps:

• Process the pears in a food processor until finely chopped. Remove pears to a large bowl. Add cherries and juice to processor bowl and pulse a couple of times to lightly chop. Add cherries to pears. Drain the pineapple. Place drained pineapple in food processor bowl and pulse 2 to 3 times to coarsely chop then add to other fruit.
• Measure the fruit. Yield should be 8 to 9 cups. For every cup of fruit you will need 3/4 cup of sugar. In a large kettle, combine the chopped fruit, sugar and juice of 1 lemon. Cook gently until mixture reaches the gel point. This should take approximately 40 minutes.
• Ladle mixture into hot sterilized jars. Clean jar rims and place 2-piece lids on jars. Process in a water bath canner as per your local county Extension office.

CHERRY, PEAR, AND PECAN SALAD

Steps:

• Combine balsamic vinegar and cherry preserves for vinaigrette in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toss mixed greens, pears, cherries, pecans, red onion, and vinaigrette in a large salad bowl.
• Evenly distribute salad among four individual salad bowls and top with Gorgonzola cheese.

CHERRY PRESERVES

Steps:

• Place a round wire rack in the bottom of a large stockpot. The rack should fit as snugly as possible and should stand 1/2 to 1 inch above the bottom of the pot. Stand the four jars on the rack, and add the lids; it's not necessary to add the screw bands. Fill pot with enough water to cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; an additional 1 to 2 inches of space should remain below the rim of the pot so the water doesn't overflow. Bring water to a simmer (180 degrees) let lids and jars simmer 10 minutes or until you're ready to fill them. Place four small plates in the freezer.
• In a medium stockpot, combine the cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice; place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in one-third of the remaining sugar, and cook, stirring, until it has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar in two more batches, stirring each batch until sugar has dissolved.
• Bring the mixture to a full boil, and cook, stirring frequently, 10 minutes. Place a candy thermometer in mixture, and cook, stirring frequently, until temperature registers 220 degrees. 30 to 40 minutes. While cooking, skim any foam that floats to the surface.
• With the temperature at 220 degrees, perform a gel test: Remove one of the plates from the freezer, and place a spoonful of the jam on it. Return the plate to freezer, and wait 1 minute. Remove plate from freezer, and gently nudge the edge of the jam with one finger. If the jam is ready, it will wrinkle slightly when pushed. If it is not ready, it will be too thin to wrinkle. If the jam does not wrinkle on the first attempt, cook 2 or 3 minutes more, and repeat the gel test.
• Once the jam has gelled properly, remove stockpot from heat. Using canning tongs, remove a jar from the simmering water, and empty the water back into the stockpot. Place the jar on a clean surface, and insert a canning funnel. Using a ladle, pour the jam through the funnel into the jar; fill to within 1/4 inch of the rim. Remove the funnel; wipe the rim with a clean damp towel. Using the tongs, lift a lid from the hot water; place lid, sealant side down, on the filled jar. Screw down the band, and tighten firmly, being careful not to force it. With the tongs, stand filled jar in simmering water. Repeat with the remaining jam and jars, making sure jars aren't touching sides of pot and are spaced 1 inch apart.
• Raise the heat to high, cover stockpot, and bring water to a boil. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer jars to a wire rack to cool completely. Store jam in a cool, dark place up to 1 year.