Vanilla Pear Butter Food

VANILLA SPICED PEAR BUTTER

Steps:

• In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the pears, water, lemon zest and juice.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, occasionally stirring, for 20 minutes.
• Working in batches, transfer mixture to a food processor fitted with a metal blade and puree just until a uniform texture is achieved. Do not liquefy. Alternatively, you may use an immersion blender.
• Measure 8 cups of pear puree (I used the excess as Pear Sauce).
• In a clean large stainless steel saucepan, combine pear puree, sugar, orange juice, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
• Stir until sugar dissolves.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and holds it shape to a spoon and liquid does not separate. This will take 6-8 hours.
• Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars and lids:
• Wash and rinse the jars in hot soapy water. Drain the jars well of any excess water.
• Set the screw bands aside - they don't require sterilizing. Place the lids - the flat round portion of the two-piece closures - in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer. Don't boil.
• Keep lids hot until you're ready to use them.
• Ladle hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head-space.
• Remove air bubbles and adjust head-space, if needed, but adding more butter. Wipe rim.
• Center the lid on jar and screw band down until resistance is med, then increase to fingertip tight.
• Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

VANILLA PEAR BUTTER

Steps:

• Drain pears, reserving 1/2 cup syrup; combine pears and syrup in small saucepan along with vanilla extract. Simmer mixture gently for 15 minutes, or until pears are tender. Remove pan from heat. Using a fork or potato masher, mash pears.

PEAR CRISPS WITH VANILLA BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• Make topping:
• Pulse together flour, almonds, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter and pulse just until blended. Coarsely crumble in a shallow baking pan and chill at least 1 hour.
• Make filling and bake crisps:
• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a small heavy saucepan, then add pod and butter and cook over medium-low heat, swirling pan occasionally, until butter is browned and fragrant, about 4 minutes.
• While butter browns, stir together sugars, flour, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add pears and brandy and toss to combine.
• Discard vanilla pod, then toss butter with pear mixture. Spoon filling into gratin dishes and sprinkle with topping, mounding it slightly in centers. Put in a shallow baking pan and bake 30 minutes, then rotate baking sheet and bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Cool to warm or room temperature on a rack.

PEAR VANILLA JAM

Steps:

• Peel, core and quarter the pears. (While you're doing this, add the cut pieces to a large bowl of water with some lemon juice squeezed in, to prevent darkening.).
• Drain the pears, and transfer them to the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse them a few times. You're looking to get them chopped, not to puree them.
• Grate a couple pinches of fresh nutmeg over the sugar.
• Add the pears, sugar, and lemon juice to a large pot, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Simmer 40 minutes. You may have to stir frequently to prevent burning.
• Remove the mixture from the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract.
• Spoon into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Wipe the jar rims and adjust the lids.
• Process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

CARAMEL PEAR BUTTER

Steps:

• Combine apple juice and 4 tablespoons lemon juice in heavy large deep pot.
• Peel, core, and cut pears, 1 at a time, into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces; mix pears into juice mixture in pot as soon as pears are cut, to prevent browning.
• Cook over medium heat until pears release enough juice for mixture to boil, stirring frequently, about 16 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until pears are very tender, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes (mixture will splatter).
• Remove pot from heat.
• Press pear mixture through fine plate of food mill into large bowl.
• Return pear puree to same pot.
• Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, brown sugar, nutmeg, and 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt.
• Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until pear butter thickens and is reduced to 8 cups, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent scorching, about 1 hour.
• Ladle pear butter into 8 hot clean 1/2-pint glass canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch space at top of jars.
• Remove air bubbles.
• Wipe jar threads and rims with clean damp cloth.
• Cover with hot lids; apply screw bands.
• Process jars in pot of boiling water 10 minutes.
• Cool completely.
• Store in cool dark place up to 1 year.

PEAR BUTTER

Steps:

• Wash 8-10 pint jars in hot soapy water or in dish washer.
• Keep hot until needed.
• Prepare lids as manufacturer directs.
• Place in a 6-quart pot.
• Pour orange juice over fruit.
• Stir in orange peel, sugar, spices and seed of vanilla bean.
• Use a hand blender if need be to get a nice smooth puree.
• Stirring constantly over medium heat, bring to a boil.
• Ladle into hot jars 1 at a time, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
• Release trapped air.
• Wipe rim of jars with a clean damp cloth.
• Attach lid.
• Place in canner.
• Process in a boiling-water bath.
• For 15 minutes.