- Details
- Category: Past Issues
Greetings. This is an adaptation of an Amish recipe. It is not a jam – the fruit is left in large pieces, and does not break down. It is good served with English muffins or biscuits, as well as with Brie and slices of French bread. The Thanksgiving relish tray would also be an appropriate presentation for these pears.
Pear Preserves
6 cups sugar ~ 2 cups water
1 teaspoon whole allspice ~ 1 teaspoon whole cloves
6 inch piece cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
6 large Bartlett pears (3 – 4 pounds)
2 lemons ~ ½ cup raisins
½ cup apple cider
In a large saucepan, combine 2 cups sugar and the water. Bring to a boil,
and continue to boil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
Add the allspice, cloves, and cinnamon, lower the heat, and continue to simmer
for 3 minutes longer. Set aside for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.
Strain the syrup, and discard the spices.
Cut the pears into quarters, core, and peel the quarters. Cut the quarters in
half, and add to the syrup as you work.
Return the saucepan to the heat, and return to the boil. Turn heat to low,
and simmer for 15 minutes.
Cut the lemon into quarters, and remove as many seeds as possible.
Thinly slice the lemon quarters crosswise.
Add the lemon slices to the pears, along with the rest of the sugar.
Return the mixture to the boil, turn heat to low, and simmer for 25 minutes more.
Add the raisins and cider, and simmer 5 – 10 minutes longer.
The mixture will thicken as it cools, to about the same consistency as honey.
Store in jars in the refrigerator, freeze, or process for 20 minutes in a
fhot-water bath, leaving ¼-inch head space.