Preserving Pears In Alcohol Recipes

BRANDIED PEARS

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water, and add lemon juice. Peel pears as carefully and smoothly as possible, leaving stems attached. Place pears in water as they are peeled.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon sticks, and 3 quarts water in a large stockpot. Drain pears, and add to pot. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until just tender when pierced with a knife, 10 to 30 minutes, depending on size and ripeness.
• Remove pears from liquid with a slotted spoon, and divide evenly among three quart jars.
• Raise heat under pot to high, and cook liquid until reduced to 2 cups, about 50 minutes. Remove from heat; strain liquid through a sieve lined with cheesecloth into a bowl. Divide the liquid evenly among the jars, and add about 1 cup brandy, or enough to cover pears, to each. Allow jars to cool, and screw on lids. Refrigerate for several weeks before eating to allow flavors to develop.

BRANDIED PEARS

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients, except for the pears, in a large saucepan.
• Bring to a boil for 1 minute, stir and reduce to a simmer.
• Place the pears in the simmering liquid.
• Cover with a lid and let them gently simmer for 20 minutes, or until the pears are tender and cooked through.
• To store: Place the pears with a slotted spoon in sterilised Tala glass-top jars.
• Sieve the liquid and pour it in with the pears, ensuring the fruit is submerged. Store in a cool dark place.
• To serve: Pour the brandy sauce in a saucepan and cook on a medium-high heat until sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
• Add the pears to it and gently heat through.
• Serve the pears and sauce with vanilla ice cream and chopped walnuts.

CANNING PEARS {PRESERVED PEARS}

Steps:

• Prepare your water bath canner by filling it with water. You just need to have enough water to cover the jars by 2 inches once the water is boiling.
• Set the canner on the stove. Turn the burner to high. Once it reaches a boil, reduce it to simmer. You want to keep the water hot so that everything is ready when the pears are.
• Wash and sanitize your jars. You'll want to keep them warm to avoid having them crack when placed in the canner. You can fill them with hot water, or place them on a tray in the oven at 170F.
• Wash your lids with hot soapy water and place them in a clean bowl for now.
• Fill a large bowl halfway with water and mix in 1/3 cup of bottled lemon juice.
• Cut the tops and bottoms off of the fruit.
• Using a vegetable peeler, peel off all the pear skins.
• After that, cut the pear in half from the top to the bottom.
• Take the paring knife and make a cut from the stem to the bottom on one side. Repeat on the other side, then jiggle the core out. Discard the core, and put the pear in the water with the lemon juice.
• When the bowl is getting full of skinned/cored pears, start the syrup. In a large pot, mix 1 cup of sugar per 6 cups of water and heat over medium.
• (Hot pack option) Once the syrup is boiling, add the pears one layer at a time (a canning term that means don't totally fill the pot) and heat for 5 minutes.
• (Hot pack option) Using a fork, grab the now softened pears one at a time, and put them cavity side down in the canning jar.
• (Raw pack option) use a fork and place pears cavity side down in the canning jar.
• Return the burner under the canner back to high to get the water back to a rolling boil.
• Using a canning funnel and a ladle, slowly pour the hot syrup into the jars until the pears are completely covered. Leave 1/2 inch of headspace. Headspace is defined as the space between the top of the food and the top of the jar.
• Remove the bubbles from the jar (I use a plastic chopstick).
• Use a wet clean rag and wipe the rim of the jars to make sure it is free of any food or syrup.
• Place a clean lid and ring on the jar and tighten the ring to fingertip tight.
• Using canning tongs, add jars to the boiling water, and put the canner lid on. Pro tip: you must have at least 2 inches of water over the tops of the jars for safe canning.
• Once your jars are completely covered with the boiling water, put the lid on and boil for 20 minutes (pints) or 25 minutes (quarts).
• Once your jars are starting to process, fill up your next 6-7 jars with hot pears, syrup, etc.
• When the time is up, remove the canner from heat, and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Remove the jars using canning tongs and place them on towels on the counter undisturbed for 12-24 hours.
• After everything has cooled, check the seal by pushing down on the middle of the lid. If it doesn't give way, it's sealed. If the lid bows a little bit, put that in the fridge and use it within 3 weeks.
• Label the sealed jars, and store in a cool dark place for up to a year.