Winter Pear Conserve Food

APPLE PEAR & WALNUT CONSERVE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, bring apples, pears, clementines and lemon juice to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until fruit is tender, stirring occasionally., Stir in pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and cinnamon; return to bring to a full rolling boil. Boil and stir 1 minute., Remove from heat; skim off foam. Stir in walnuts. Ladle hot mixture into eight hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight. , Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool. ,

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.

WINTER PEARS

Steps:

• Combine sugar, vinegar, pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a bowl. Mix well to incorporate. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime cut the pears (skin on) into thin wedges with the seeds and stem removed. A good trick is to halve the fruit then use a melon-baller to scoop out the seeds then trim away the small bit of stem.
• Place pears in a mixing bowl and carefully mix. When the balsamic-sugar mixture is ready, pour over the fruit and mix gently to coat evenly. Gently crush the biscotti into 6 serving bowls. Divide the pears into each dish then top with a dollop of the mascarpone cheese or a scoop of caramel or cinnamon flavored gelato or ice cream. Serve immediately.

PEAR PRESERVES

Steps:

• In a stockpot, combine pears, sugar, water and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until mixture reaches a thick, spreadable consistency. , Remove from heat. Ladle hot mixture into seven hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight., Place jars into canner, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.