Pear Sauce

19 years ago

I bought too many Bartlett pears recently - although they are yummy, and I look forward to pear season all summer - we just can't eat them all and they are now ripe, a bit soft, perfect for eating but probably too soft for canning as pear slices. I am thinking of making this pear sauce. I assume there should be no safety issues, but thought I'd check it out with you all first. It is from a book "Well Preserved" by Mary Anne Dragan. I have not made much from this book because I don't really know her credentials and because it tends to sometimes have amounts like this (8 pears) rather than cups or weights. Anyway, any comments? Including if you think it sounds good and if it is safe....My comments are in parentheses. She suggests using it as a dessert sauce - warm on gingerbread with vanilla ice cream alongside. I am wondering if it will also be similar to apple sauce or if all that sugar will make it too sweet to just eat by itself.

Thanks!

Ann

Spiced Pear Sauce

Makes 5 to 6 8-oz. jars

8 large, juicy, ripe pears

3/4 cup brown sugar, or more to taste (I can't imagine I'd want more!)

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves (I assume ground)

Prepare the preserving jars. Peel, core and dice the pears.

Combine all ingredients in your preserving pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 20-25 minutes, or until the pears are soft (this seems like a long time for pears?). Stir occasionally (I would think stir often).

Remove from the heat and mash vigorously with a potato masher until the texture is fairly smooth. Return to a boil over medium-low heat, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Taste the pear sauce and add additional sugar, if necessary. Once the pear sauce is uniformly hot and bubbling, remove from the heat.

Spoon the sauce into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe the rims clean. Seal according to manufacturer's directions. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (is this long enough?).

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Comments (6)

readinglady
19 years ago
There's no problem with the safety of the recipe or the process. The jars don't need to be sterilized, just clean and hot.

For 8-oz. jars 10 minutes will be OK, but for anything larger (i.e. pints) I'd go 15. If it's more comfortable, do the smaller jars at 15. It's not going to affect the quality.

Here's a link to an Oregon State Extension document on pears that you might find helpful.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Preserving Foods: Pears
zabby17
19 years ago
Ann,

Do you have apples? I like to do a combo apple-pear sauce (just fruit, with a little lemon to keep the colour and IF they're tart maybe a little sugar).

Nice on its own as part of breakfast, or with ice cream or gingerbread cake or over pancakes...

Zabby
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prairie_love
Original Author
19 years ago
Thank you Carol and Zabby. I thought it probably was safe, but like to check - still a bit unsure with new recipes!

Carol, that's funny, when I typed the recipe in I didn't even think about the fact that it said "sterilized"! I would have just done my normal routine anyway, funny.

Zabby, yes I do have apples. I usually do straight applesauce but you're right - an apple-pear combo would be yummy.

Thanks!
Ann
zabby17
19 years ago
Ann,

I was the same way the first time I canned applesauce, following a "recipe" carefully.

With experience and help from this forum, I learned that many fruits can be pureed and canned, with or without sugar, with or without lemon, and in various combinations.-It's one of the safest, most flexible things to can, and easy (I have a little food mill I run it through after it's cooked a bit, so there's no need to peel or core ahead of time!)

I make apple-pear sauce, apple-blackberry, apple-plum, apple-peach, sometimes apple-raspberry and apple-strawberry with fruits frozen earlier in the season. (I didnt much care for apple-blueberry.) And sometimes plain pear sauce, too.

Mostly we have it for breakfast as a hint of autumn goodness in midwinter --- a piece of zucchini bread from the freezer and a little dish of apple-plus sauce plus a banana starts the day off right...

Good luck and enjoy those pears!

Zabby
rachelellen
19 years ago
I made some pear sauces last year, and they came out very well...something different to serve with pork chops, as well as to spoon over ice cream or just eat on it's own.

I did a batch with cardamom and ginger, some with brandy, and some with whole cranberries, which made for a delightful "polka dot" look in the jars.
zabby17
19 years ago
rachelellen, pork chops, what a great idea! for some reason I'm always slow to think of combining fruit and meat but in the right combos it can be GREAT. Thanks for the idea!

Zabby