"This decadent pear butter proves that dynamic flavor can come from just a handful of simple ingredients. Slow cooking turns pears, brown sugar, lemon juice, and salt into a deeply colored, sophisticated dessert sauce. Spread this between cake layers or spoon over vanilla ice cream."
List of Ingredients
â—¦ 8 pounds ripe pears
â—¦ 2 cups brown sugar
â—¦ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
Recipe
Rinse the pears under cool running water. Remove and discard the stems, peels, and cores. Dice the pears, adding them to a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Crush with a masher. Bring to a bubble over high heat. Lower the heat to medium and continue cooking for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Purée the pears using an immersion blender or standard blender. Stir in the brown sugar and lemon juice. Return to medium heat and let bubble for 80 to 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until darkened and thick. (You may need to lower the heat to medium-low and stir more frequently toward the end to prevent scorching.) Remove from the heat. Stir in the salt.
Ladle into six clean half-pint jars, leaving a ¼-inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes.
Makes six (½ pint) jars
• Tip:
Any pear variety can be used to make pear butter, so use your favorites. Bartlett and Anjou are nice choices. To know if your pears are ripe, just check the neck. A ripe pear will give slightly when pressed just below the stem.