Food, Wine and Preserves: PEAR SYRUP and SLICED PEARS IN SYRUP

Saturday, August 3, 2013

PEAR SYRUP and SLICED PEARS IN SYRUP

I do have a soft spot for pears… so pear syrup is a frequent in my kitchen. It’s delicate flavor complements many other dishes and deserts or gently pleases the palate on its own when used in a beverage.

The syrup is just one of the products. It can be used as beverage when mixed with water or tea, or used to make the pear liquor - my favorite. The sliced up, cooked pears are perfect for the pear pie.

The ingredients below are very simple by design. Some spices like cinnamon, clove or nutmeg can be added. The amount of water in the recipe is designed to make the syrup for the beverages. If you prefer thicker syrup reduce the amount of water in the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

3 lb - pears (5-6 average pears), firm not soft,
3 lb - granulated sugar
48 oz - water
Juice from 1 lemon

EQUIPMENT:

- 12 Qts, non reactive pot
- 4 Qt glass bowl or pot
- Strainer,
- Funnel,
- Clean jars or bottles: 2 x 24oz bottles or jars for the syrup, 2 x 32oz jars for sliced pears (2 x 24oz jars or bottles will be enough for the syrup if you will use the rest of the syrup to preserve the sliced pears),

DIRECTIONS:

1. Clean pears, cut in 8ths, remove cores, leave the skin for more flavor and … fiber.

2. Bring water with sugar to boil.

3. Add cut up pears and lemon juice, bring to boil then simmer for 25 minutes.

4. Run the mixture through the strainer to separate syrup. If using syrup to make a pear liquor, filter the syrup through the coffee filter for better clarity.

5. For preserves, bring back to boil and carefully pour hot syrup to jars or bottles. I leave the small burner on under the pot to maintain the hot temperature of the syrup. Pour until ~½” from the top of the jar/bottle and close the lid tightly. The jars and bottles will be hot. Use gloves or towels to keep from getting burned.

6. The cooked, sliced pears can be also preserved: place sliced pears in a smaller pot, pour syrup over them just to cover the fruits. Usually 24oz will do the trick. Bring to boil, carefully place in jars while hot, close the lids tightly.

Note there are no preservatives added. The hot temperature is the key to making preserves without adding chemical preservatives. Cooling contents in the jars/bottles will create vacuum and assure freshness of the contents for several years. Store in cool room.

Coming next: Pear Liqueur

From Josephine's Kitchen

I never really liked to cook. Meals that don’t require heat are ok, but as soon as the recipe calls for the heat… it is a prescription for a disaster in my kitchen. The burden of extensive watching of the pots on the stove seems just like too much. I look away and the next thing you know things are burned. So I thought, there must be an easier way. And there is; recipes have to be simple and quick to make. I only love it if it doesn’t take long time to make it, and the making is simple. That is my motto for the cooking. I like to cook with genuine, natural, preferable organic ingredients. Back to the basics can be healthy and delicious. I do believe that our health is a reflection of what we eat. Cooking healthy is quite simple: using genuine ingredients instead of processed food is the key. I have a simple formula when I read the ingredients on the box: if it doesn’t sound like food - it isn’t, so don’t eat it.
- Josephine