Preserved Pears

When I first wanted to start preserving fruit, I thought I’d need a kitchen filled with boxes of fruit, kilos of sugar and hundreds of jars. Unless you have an army of helpers, an easier way is to just bottle a few kilos of fruit at a time, so you don’t end up with mountains of the same preserve, and can experiment with different flavours.

This recipe will give you several jars of sweetly aromatic pears. You can easily substitute other fruits such as plums, nectarines and peaches, or add different aromatics to the jars, such as orange zest, cardamom, rosemary, or even chilli.

MAKES: 4 x 500 ml (16 oz) jars

INGREDIENTS

½ lemon

1.2 kg (2 lb 10 oz) pears

100 g (3½ oz) raw or granulated white sugar

700 ml (24 fl oz) water

16 black peppercorns

2 star anise, broken in half

1 cinnamon stick, broken into 4 pieces

EQUIPMENT

4 x 500 ml (16 oz) wide-mouthed jars and lids

vegetable peeler

bowl

medium saucepan

large saucepan

preserving tongs (optional)

tea towels

sugar thermometer

PRESERVED PEARS METHOD

1.	Prepare your jars: Sterilise your jars and lids using a method outlined here. Keep them warm until you are ready to use them.
2.	Peel the fruit: Squeeze the juice from the lemon half into a bowl of water. Peel, core and quarter the pears, placing them into the lemon water as you go, to stop them turning brown.
3.	Make your syrup: In a medium saucepan, gently heat the sugar and water until the sugar has dissolved.
4.	Pack your jars: Pack the pears into the warm jars, tucking them in really tight, otherwise they will float around when you add the syrup; any fruit that is exposed to air will encourage mould. Divide the pepper, cinnamon and star anise among the jars.
5.	Fill and seal: Pour the warm syrup over the pears. Tap the jars gently to make sure there are no air bubbles. Clean the rims with paper towel, making sure they are spotless, and carefully screw the lids on, making sure they’re not too tight.
6.	Boil the jars: Grab your biggest saucepan, place a tea towel in the bottom and fill with water. Bring to the boil, then add your jars, making sure they are not touching each other. Simmer at 88°C (190°F) for 40 minutes. This will pasteurise the jars and prevent spoilage.
7.	Cool and store: After 40 minutes, carefully lift the jars out using preserving tongs and place on a tea towel on your bench. (If you don’t have preserving tongs, you can leave the jars to cool in the water.) Don’t touch the jars until they are completely cool. Store in a dark cupboard for up to 1 year.

HOW TO USE

• Serve with ice cream or mascarpone and chocolate sauce for a quick, easy dessert.
• Rest your beautiful pears atop a simple sweet tart base filled with custard and chocolate shavings or Cheat’s ricotta.
• Perfect with your home-made Granola for a decadent breakfast.