Saucy Spiced Pears Recipes

SPICED PEARS

Steps:

• Drain pears, reserving syrup; set the pears aside. In a small saucepan, combine the syrup, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add pears and simmer for about 5 minutes more or until heated through.

EDNA LEWIS'S SPICED PEARS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, toast the cloves, shaking the pan, until they're very aromatic. Add the sugar, vinegar and salt, and bring up to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel the pears, and halve them lengthwise, if needed, to fit the pan. (You can pick out the seeds if you like.) Carefully place the pears in the syrup, and simmer gently.
• Stir the pears every few minutes, to make sure they cook evenly, especially if the hot syrup doesn't completely submerge them. Cook them until they are just tender at their thickest parts; check with a toothpick after 15 minutes of cooking. When the pears are ready, remove the pan from the heat and place a clean plate on top of the pears to keep them submerged in the vinegar syrup. Allow to cool for six hours or overnight.
• Serve right away, store in the refrigerator or can. If you store them in the fridge, you can separate the pears and syrup and use them independently. If you plan on canning, Lewis instructs you to strain the syrup and boil it for 5 minutes. Pack the pears in jars, cover with the hot syrup and process according to your jar manufacturer's directions.

SPICED BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Core the pears and set inside a baking dish. An old fashioned peeler with the pointy tip works well for this.
• Combine the craisins, walnuts and orange peel. Set aside.
• In a saucepan, combine the rest of the ingredients over medium-low heat for 2-5 minutes or until combined and bubbly.
• Take a pinch of your craisin mix and stuff into bottom of each pear. Stir in the rest of the craisin mix into your bubbly sauce.
• Ladle the hot sauce into each pear.
• Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven till the pears are soft. (Usually 30-40 minutes) Check on the pears halfway through. If they look like they are going to burn, cover with foil till the last 5 minutes.
• Let stand at least 5 minutes. Put each pear on a plate then ladle some of the escaped sauce over the pear and drizzle around the plate for presentation.
• Tip: If you don't have any orange peel handy, substitute orange juice for the water.
• Tip: The sauce will escape through the bottom. Don't sweat it. Just ladle it back in after baking. The nut/craisin mix in the bottom helps with this.
• Tip: I know the baking time is a little ambiguous, be we move around a lot and I've made this in several different ovens. It's hard to "kill" these. Just test the pears with a fork. When the tops get that pretty caramel color and they're soft, they're ready.
• Tip: This works with any pear, just adjust the baking time depending on the firmness of the pear. Firmer=longer. I like Bartlett pears because they're fat and stand up on their own better.

SLOW-COOKED GINGERED PEARS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the ginger, brown sugar, pecans and lemon zest. Using a melon baller or long-handled spoon, core pears to within 1/4 in. of bottom. Spoon ginger mixture into the center of each. , Place pears upright in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Top each with butter. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until tender. Serve with ice cream and caramel topping if desired.