Email to Cat      

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.