Fall Weekend Project: Spiced Pear Butter

Fall doesn’t just mean apples, butternut squash, and pumpkins. It also means pears, which always seem to be overshadowed by the other three. People just don’t seem to think about pears. You don’t see spiced pear lattés, pear-scented candles, or pear cider. Pears get the short end of the stick. This saddens me, because pears are wonderful. Think pear tart, pear sorbet, caramelized pears.

When I was a kid, I wasn’t a fan of pears, either. But that’s a different story. One of my favorite toast toppers on fall mornings is spiced pear butter. If you’re lucky enough to be able to get your hands on a few pounds of pears, you really should try making pear butter. I actually just ran out of my stash from 2011, pictured here, so it was time for me to do just that.

I’ve said this before – if you’ve never tried canning, do not be intimidated. Especially when it comes to things like jams and fruit butters, which are made in small batches and won’t overwhelm you. If you’re one of those people who buys up the cranberry-apple butter and pumpkin butter at Trader Joe’s this time of year, I need to say this to you: while Trader Joe’s fruit butters are good, homemade is better. And pear butter is truly the best. Better than apple butter. It wows, because we generally just don’t expect pears to perform like this.

And it’s easy. I promise. It takes about two hours to make a batch of pear butter from start to finish, so it’s the perfect project for a fall weekend morning or afternoon. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, tea, or hot apple cider, light a candle or two, and make pear butter.

Spiced pear butter makes a great appetizer or snack spread on crackers with some soft chèvre. Perfect for holiday parties.

It also makes a great hostess gift. Cut a circle of cute paper or fabric to put under the screw-on ring, tie a ribbon around it, add a cute label or tag, and you’ve got a craftsy little piece of edible art. I gave away a lot of those little quarter pints pictured above as presents, and they got raves.

Spiced Pear Butter

Ingredients:
About 7 lbs. pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 cup water
Juice and zest of one lemon
4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Equipment:
Stainless steel or enameled cast iron pot for cooking the pear butter
4 pint canning jars, 8 half pints, or a combination
New jar lids and screw-on rings (rings can be used)
20-quart stock pot and jar rack for the bottom
Wide-mouthed canning funnel
Ladle
Jar lifter tongs

Start by prepping your canning equipment. Fill the 20-quart stock pot or boiling water canner fitted with the rack (see this post for more details on canning equipment) with water, place the empty jars inside, cover, and place over high heat to come to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cover the jar lids and rings you’ll be using with water and place over medium heat to come to a simmer. This will sterilize them.

Peel, core, and chop the pears.

In a large stainless steel or enameled cast iron pot placed over medium-high heat, combine the pears, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil.

Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Reduce the heat so that the mixture is just boiling gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pears are soft and the juice level has risen, 20 minutes or so.

Taking care not to splash any of the hot liquid on yourself, purée the mixture using an immersion blender (or in batches in a food processor) until it’s silky smooth, but not liquefied.

Bring back to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens and will coat the back of a spoon.

While the pear butter is cooking, the water in the big pot should come to a boil. When it does, use the jar lifter tongs to remove the jars, pouring out any water inside them, and set them on a clean dish towel right side up. Any remaining drops of water will evaporate rapidly from the heat.

Carefully ladle the hot pear butter into the jars, using the funnel. Fill only about 1/4 inch from the top of the rim. If any gets on the rim of the jar, wipe it clean with a damp cloth. Place the lids on the jars and crew on the rings until just fingertip tight – do not overtighten.

Use the jar lifter tongs to lower the jars carefully into the boiling water bath. *Note: If the water level gets too high, just dip some out with a pitcher or glass measuring cup.

Cover and bring the pot back to a rapid boil. When it has reached a full boil, set a timer for 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and remove the jars from the water bath. Place on a clean dishtowel to cool. Listen for the “ping” each lid makes as it seals. Once the jars are cool, you can test for proper sealing by pressing on the lid with a fingertip. If the lid bubbles up and down, the lid did not seal properly – do not discard the pear butter, though. Just refrigerate and eat.

Makes approximately 4 pints.

Here’s the printable recipe.

I’ll be back tomorrow with another week of meal plans for you. See you then!