Pear Butter French Recipes

PEAR BUTTER

Steps:

• Simmer pear halves and brandy in a saucepan for 20 minutes over medium heat. In a separate saucepan, combine sugar, zest, and orange juice. Set aside. When pears are soft, transfer to a blender and puree*. Add puree to saucepan and simmer for 1 1/2 hours over low heat, stirring occasionally. Pear butter is ready when all the liquid has evaporated and the consistency is very thick. If canning, follow USDA guidelines for canning.
• *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

SLOW-COOKER PEAR BUTTER

Steps:

• Place spices on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose spices; tie securely with string. In a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker, toss remaining ingredients. Add spice bag, covering with pears., Cook, covered, on low 5-6 hours or until pears are tender. Remove spice bag., Puree pear mixture using an immersion blender. Or, cool slightly and puree mixture in a blender in batches; return to slow cooker., Cook, uncovered, on high 1-2 hours or until mixture is thickened to desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Store cooled pear butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pear butter in freezer containers up to 3 months. Liquids expand as they freeze, so leave extra room at the top of the freezer container. To use, thaw in refrigerator.

ORANGE ESSENCE PEAR BUTTER

Steps:

• Remove stems from pears and cut in half lengthwise. Slice thinly. Place in a pot large enough to hold, and add the pear nectar or apple juice. I highly recommend using pear nectar for this recipe.
• Zest the orange and add zest to the pears. Squeeze the juice from the orange into the pot also. Then, chop up the remaining pulp and add it to the pot.
• Bring this to a boil, then lower heat and simmer covered for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Keep heat low. Pears should be very soft and mushy. Allow to cool slightly, then put through a food mill to get rid of the seeds and other debris.
• Place the pear puree in a medium crock pot, to fill at least 3/4 full. Cook on high, with lid vented, 6-8 hours. Stir often to move the cooked part on the outside to the inside.
• When pear butter is thick and holds its shape on a spoon, add the sugar and nutmeg. Continue cooking 1 more hour.
• Pack into hot sterilized jars or freezer containers. May process in a boiling water bath if desired, or just refrigerate or freeze. Makes 3 & 1/2 one-cup jars.

SPICED PEAR BUTTER

Steps:

• Combine pears, wine and lemon juice in heavy large saucepan. Cover and simmer until pears are soft, pushing unsubmerged pears into liquid occasionally, about 25 minutes. Force through food mill or coarse sieve to remove pear peel. Transfer to processor and puree.
• Return puree to heavy large sauce-pan. Add remaining ingredients. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and boil gently until mixture thickens and mounds slightly on spoon stirring often, about 50 minutes.
• Discard fruit slices, cloves, vanilla and cinnamon. Spoon butter into hot canning jar, filling only to 1/4 inch form top. Immediately wipe rim, using towel dipped into hot water. Place lid on jar; seal tightly. Repeat with remaining jars.
• Arrange jars in large pot. Add boiling water to pot so that at least 1 inch of water covers tops of jars. Cover pot and boil rapidly 15 minutes. Remove jars from pot. Cool to room temperature. Press center of each lid. If lid stays down, jar is sealed. (If lid pops up, store butter in refrigerator.) Store in cool dry place up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.

CHAMPAGNE PEAR BUTTER

Steps:

• Place diced pears into slow cooker. In mixing bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, spices, vanilla, and champagne, stirring to dissolve slightly. Pour mixture over pears, cover, and cook on high 2 hours, stirring occasionally until syrup starts to form. Turn to low setting and cook approximately 6-8 hours.
• Ladle into blender in small batches, blending until smooth and pouring out into bowl, repeating until all the pears have been processed and you have bowl full of fruit butter. I then ladle mine into jelly jars and can them using the water bath canning method.

PEAR AND ROSEMARY BUTTER

Steps:

• Boil juice in heavy large pot until reduced to 1 cup, about 30 minutes. Add pears and pinch of salt; return to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until pears are very soft, stirring occasionally to immerse pears in juice, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to processor and puree until smooth. Return puree to same pot. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Cover partially; simmer over medium-low heat until puree is thick enough to mound slightly on spoon, stirring often and being careful when removing lid (puree will spatter vigorously), about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard vanilla bean. Stir in rosemary and vinegar. Cover; let stand 30 minutes to infuse. Discard rosemary. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill until cold, about 4 hours. (Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Keep chilled.)
• *Available at natural foods stores and many supermarkets.

PEAR-STUFFED FRENCH VANILLA TOAST

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter. Spread onto bottom of a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Layer with pear, raisins, bread cubes and pecans., In a large bowl, whisk eggs, ice cream, cinnamon and vanilla until blended; pour over top. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.