Description
Delicious pioneer woman pear preserves showcase ripe pears from Southern orchards. Homemade preserve recipes offer sweet comfort with simple ingredients and traditional canning techniques you can master quickly.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups (946 ml/32 oz) pears, peeled, cored, and chopped (Bosc, Anjou, or Bartlett)
- 2 cups (400 g/14 oz) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml/2 fl oz) lemon juice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
- Preparation: Select ripe, unblemished pears and dice into consistent, uniform cubes. Gather sugar, lemon juice, and optional warming spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.
- Initial Maceration: In a heavy-bottomed stainless steel saucepan, combine pear chunks, sugar, lemon juice, and selected spices. Allow mixture to rest 30-40 minutes, enabling sugar to extract natural pear juices and form a preliminary syrup.
- Cooking Process: Position saucepan over medium-low heat, gently dissolving sugar crystals. Gradually increase temperature, maintaining a gentle, consistent simmer without aggressive boiling. Continue cooking 40-50 minutes, periodically stirring and monitoring consistency.
- Texture Verification: As pears break down, assess preserve’s readiness by placing a small amount on a chilled plate. When pushed with a fingertip, it should wrinkle slightly, indicating a perfect gel-like texture and deep amber color.
- Jarring and Preservation: Remove from heat, allowing preserves to rest 5-7 minutes. Carefully ladle into sterilized glass jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Securely seal with sterilized lids, then process in a rolling boiling water bath for 10 minutes to ensure proper preservation.
- Final Storage: Transfer processed jars to a cooling rack, allowing natural temperature adjustment. Store in a dark, cool pantry for up to 12 months. Once opened, refrigerate and consume within 3-4 weeks.
Notes
- Select Perfectly Ripe Pears: Choose pears that are firm but yielding, without bruises or soft spots, ensuring the best flavor and texture for preserves.
- Manage Sugar Extraction: Let pear-sugar mixture rest 30-40 minutes to draw out natural juices, creating a rich, flavorful syrup before cooking.
- Monitor Cooking Temperature: Maintain a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching and achieve a glossy, deep amber preserve consistency.
- Test Preserve Readiness: Use the wrinkle test on a chilled plate to confirm perfect gel-like texture, ensuring ideal spread and preservation quality.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 136
- Sugar: 33 g
- Sodium: 1 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg