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    Vanilla-Ginger-Bourbon Pear Preserves

    Source of Recipe


    From "The Hands-On Home" by Erica Strauss

    List of Ingredients


    • 5 pounds firm-ripe pears, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped (about 8 cups)
    • 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
    • ¾ cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup chopped candied ginger
    • ¼ cup bourbon
    • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    • 1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise
    • Pinch of kosher salt


    Instructions


    1. Prepare a water bath canner, 5 half-pint jars, and their lids.

    2. In a large, heavy, nonreactive wide pot, add the pears, sugars, ginger, bourbon, lemon juice and zest, vanilla bean, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently, until the preserves thicken and reduce, about 15 minutes.

    3. When the preserves reach the gelling temperature (220° F at sea level) and sheet when dropped from a spoon, reduce the heat to low and pick out the vanilla bean with a spoon or tongs. Work quickly to ladle the preserves into the prepared hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles, wipe the jar rims, and set the jar lids according to the manufacturer's directions.

    4. Carefully lower the filled jars into the simmering water-bath canner. When the water has returned to a boil, cover the kettle, and set a timer for 10 minutes. When jars have processed for 10 minutes, remove the canner from the heat and allow the jars to cool in the water for 5 minutes, then use a jar lifter to transfer the jars onto a clean kitchen towel to cool and set their seals.

    5. Leave the jars alone until they have fully cooled — at least 8 but no more than 24 hours — then check the seals. Any jar that hasn't sealed should be refrigerated and used within 2 weeks. Jars with solid seals may be washed, labeled, and stored in a cool, dark place where they will keep for about 1 year.

      Makes about 5 half-pint jars



    Final Comments


    You can rinse the used vanilla bean, pat it dry, and add it to a bowl of sugar for a lovely vanilla-infused sugar.

 

 

 


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