Linda C

2 qts pear pulp (about 20 medium pears)
4 cups sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp nutmeg

To make the pulp, quarter and core the pears. Cook until soft, adding only enough water to keep them from sticking. Press through a food mill.

Add remaining ingrients and cook until thick, about 35 minutes. As it thickens stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Pour into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust caps. Process pints and quarts 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

I often make poached pears with chocolate/raspberry sauce. This doesn't use up a whole lot of them, but you're welcome to the recipe if you want.

Baked Pears
8 pears
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup water
pinch ground ginger

Leave stems on pears, but cut a slice from the bottom end to form a flat surface so pears will stand up in baking dish. Mix all ingridients and pour over pears. Bake uncovered in preheated oven at 160C, for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Baste with the syrup while baking.

Pear and Tomato Chutney
3kg ripe pears, peeled and roughly chopped
2kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
2 green apples, peel and chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 litre white wine vinegar
10 cups brown sugar

Place all ingredients into a large saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Simmer steadily until the mixture thickens to setting point, about 1 1/2-2 hours. Spoon into warm, sterilised jars, cool, then seal.

Pear Jam
3kg pears
10 cups sugar
4 tablespoons lemon juice

Peel and dice pears. Put in bowl and cover with sugar. Leave overnight. Next day, add lemon juice and bring to a rapid boil. Turn heat to low and let slow cook 5-6 hours, until it turns light brown. Bring back to the boil and quickly ladle into jars and seal.

Pear Jam with Ginger
1kg pears
125g preserved ginger
1kg sugar
1 1/4 cups water
2cm piece fresh ginger
juice of 2 lemons

Peel, core and dice the pears. Cut the preserved ginger into small chunks. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and stir over gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until setting point is reached. Remove the piece of fresh ginger, lift out the fruit with a slotted spoon and place in hot clean jars. Rapidly boil the syrup to reduce for a few minutes, then pour over the fruit to cover. Cover and process, then complete seals and cool.

Pear Conserve
1kg pears peeled, cored
2 1/4 cups sugar
250g tin crushed pineapple in juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Process pears in a food processor until finely chopped. Put pears and remaining ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until pears are very soft and mixture thickens (30-40 minutes). Serve warm or cold on pancakes, waffles, toast or warm breads. Store refrigerated.

Pear Honey
6-8 ripe pears, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
1 undrained can of crushed pineapple
1/4 cup lemon juice
5 cups sugar

Combine pears with pineapple and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Ladle into sterilised jars and seal. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes. A few chopped cherries may be added if desired.

Pickled Pears
1 litre vinegar
12 cups sugar
6kg peeled pears

Make a syrup of the vinegar and sugar and add a spice bag made of 1 tablespoon of ground cloves, and 1 piece of ginger root if desired. Add 4-5 whole sticks of cinnamon to the syrup. Add pears to this boiling syrup. Cook until the fruit can be readily pierced with a straw, let stand in a covered saucepan overnight. Next day pack into sterilised jars. Fill jar to within 1cm of top with fruit and syrup. Seal, and process in the boiling water bath 20 minutes. Peaches can be prepared in the same way.

Pear Butter
20 medium pears
4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup orange juice

Core, peel and slice pears. Combine pears and 1/2 cup water in large pot. Simmer until pears are soft. Put pulp through sieve, do not liquefy. Combine pear pulp, and other ingredients. Cook until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Stir constantly to prevent sticking. Pour boiling hot butter in hot jars leaving 3mm head space. Water bath in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Spiced Pear Butter
2kg pears, unpeeled, cored, cut into 2cm pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 orange slices
1 lemon slice
4 whole cloves
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
pinch salt

Combine pears, wine and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Cover and simmer until pears are soft, pushing unsubmerged pears into liquid occasionally, about 25 minutes. Force through a coarse sieve to remove pear peel. Transfer to a food processor and puree. Return puree to the saucepan. Add remaining ingredients. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and boil gently until mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon, stirring often, about 50 minutes. Discard fruit slices, cloves, vanilla, and cinnamon. Spoon butter into hot jars, leaving 3mm headspace. Seal jars. Process in a water bath for 15 minutes. Store in cool dry place up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9" loaf pan. In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream the butter & sugar together until light & fluffy. Add the eggs & vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda & nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing gently but thoroughly. Gently stir in the pears. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.~~More than a Tea Party

PEAR DUMPLINGS W/CREAM CUSTARD (serves 6)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 stick butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup + 1 1/2 tsp sugar
3 ripe pears, peeled, halved & cored
1 egg, separated
2 cups heavy cream
4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
Mint leaves (if you have them)

Preheat oven to 375°. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, butter & cream cheese. Knead by hand until blended. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1/2 the pastry to 1/8" thickness, using a floured rolling pin. Cut six 7" circles from the rolled out pastry.
Mix the cinnamon with 1 1/2 tsp sugar in a small bowl & sprinkle evenly over the pastry circles. Place a pear half, cut side up, in the middle of each pastry circle. Fold the pastry around the pears, brush the pastry with egg white & place seam side down on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake the dumplings 30 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven & cool slightly on a wire rack.
For the custard: Combine the cream, cornstarch, salt, egg yolk & 1/4 cup sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla & allow to cool.
When ready to serve, pool some custard on a dessert plate & place a dumpling on top. Garnish the dumpling with mint to resemble a pear leaf. Dumplings & custard may be made ahead of time & refrigerated separately to be served chilled later.~~Rouge River Rendezvous

PEARS MELBA (serves 4)
3 cups water
One 3" cinnamon stick
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 TBL fresh lemon juice (reserve 1/2 tsp)
One 1x3" piece lemon rind (yellow part only)
4 large pears, stems intact, peeled, halved & cored
1 TBL cornstarch
10 oz frozen raspberries, thawed, drained, reserve juice
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 tsp sugar
Mint leaves

In a large skillet combine water, cinnamon stick, vanilla, 1 TBL lemon juice & rind. Bring water to high simmer; add pears & poach, covered for 10 minutes. (Can be prepared up to this point, covered & chilled overnight.) Add cornstarch to reserved raspberry juice; heat until slightly thickened. Add berries; cool.
Puree cottage cheese, reserved lemon juice & sugar until smooth & creamy. Matching halves, fill each pear half with 2 TBL cheesemixture; stand upright on a plate & press halves together. Level bottom, if necessary, by cutting off a thin slice. Spoon 2 TBL raspberry sauce over each pear. Place mint leaf at each stem. May be chilled several hours.~~from Sounds Delicious

PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
1 stick + 4 TBL butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 pears, peeled & cut in half
1/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 375°. Melt the 4 TBL butter in a 9" square baking pan & sprinkle w/the brown sugar. Arrange the pear halves & pecans in a desinnnng on top of the sugared butter.
Cream the remaining butter w/the granulated sugar & beat in the egg & vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder & salt & add alternately w/the milk.
Spoon the batter carefully over the pears. Bake about 35 minutes or until done. Let cake stand 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter. Serve warm w/whipped cream.~~Craig Claiborne

PEAR VINAIGRETTE
1/2 cup chopped, peeled fresh pear
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 scant tsp Asian sesame oil
2 TBL orange juice
3 TBL olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine the pear & vinegar in a processor container & process until smooth. Add the sesame oil & orange juice & proces until well mixed. Add the olive oil gradually, processing constantly until combined. Season w/salt & pepper. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 days.~~Oh My Stars

PEAR CRISP (serves 6)
6 ripe pears, peeled, cored & sliced
1 TBL lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup brown sugar

Place pears in a greased 2 qt baking dish. Toss pears w/lemon juice, cinnamon & nutmeg. In a bowl, combine flour & butter until mixture resembles crumbs. Add oats & brown sugar. Stir well; sprinkle over pears. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 20-25 minutes or until browned & pears are tender. Serve w/ice cream or whipped cream.~~Food for Thought

Individual Maple Pear Cobblers
Courtesy of: Rebecca Rather, Chef, Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe

6 servings

3 pounds pears, peeled, cored, quartered
2/3 cup + 9 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
9 tablespoons whipping cream
melted butter
sugar to taste
nutmeg to taste

For the filling, combine the pears, 2/3 cup syrup, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a bowl and mix well. Divide evenly among 6 custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place a pat of butter on top of each one. Bake at 425 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until heated through. For the topping, place the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a food processor. Add 6 tablespoons butter and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add the cream, 9 tablespoons syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla and process until combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto the hot filling. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg. Bake for 14 minutes or until firm to the touch and golden brown.

Pear and Currant Chutney

Makes 2 ½ - 3 cups
1 cup dried currants
6 tbls pear brandy
4 pears, peeled, cored and cut into ½" pieces
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 – 3 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
pinch cayenne

Put currants and brandy into a medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat until currants are plump and have absorbed most of the liquor, about 7 minutes. Add pears, celery, sugar, lemon juice, ginger and cayenne and stir well. Return to simmer, reduce head to medium low and simmer until pears are very soft and translucent and juices are thick and syrupy, about 1 hour.

Put chutney into a clean jar with a tight lid or hot water bath 10 minutes. If not processed, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Allow chutney to sit for a couple of weeks, the flavor improves with age.

Old Fashioned Pear Preserves from Carol (Readinglady)

You can also make Pear Preserves if you want chunks of pear suspended in syrup. By weight use equal amounts of pears and sugar. You also need the juice and seeds of one lemon. I wouldn't go over about 4 pounds of fruit because it takes too long to cook larger amounts. This takes several days, but it's mainly waiting and the results are wonderful. Here's what you do:

Day 1: Peel, core and cut firm-ripe pears into chunks or slices. Leave pieces large enough to retain character in preserves. Place pears in acidified water (Fruit Fresh or Ascorbic Acid).

Rinse and drain pears. Place in large bowl and add sugar equal in weight to pears. Add juice of lemon and place pips (seeds) in small bag. It's messy but I also add any of the pulp that was reamed out. Add to bowl. Stir gently
to distribute syrup and refrigerate overnight. Throughout evening stir occasionally to distribute sugar. (I usually don't do this more than once.)

Day 2: Place macerated pears and sugar syrup with lemon seeds in bag in large pan. Bring to a boil and cook about 10 minutes, skimming foam. Reduce temperature and continue to cook (about 20 minutes) until pears are translucent and candied. Turn off heat and leave pears and syrup overnight.
(This can be room temperature.) Cover pan with a cloth, not a lid (to prevent condensation).

Day 3: Using a slotted spoon lift pears from syrup and place in a strainer. Collect any additional syrup in a bowl beneath the strainer. (I drained syrup left in pan into a bowl and washed the pan because the syrup was
crystallized along the rim then I put the syrup back.) Bring syrup to a boil and cook to gel point stirring frequently. (Depending on how thick you want the syrup, this can be anywhere from 218-222°.) You can also use the frozen plate test.

The advantage is you get to thicken the syrup just the way you like without cooking the delicate pears to the point of disintegration.

Return the pears to syrup and boil 1 minute to reheat them. Pull off heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (This allows fruit to equalize with the syrup so it doesn't float to the top of the jar.)

Place preserves in sterilized jars and BWB 5 minutes or clean, hot jars and BWB 10 minutes.

I do use somewhat less sugar in these preserves and they keep chunks of the pears.

Lucky sister, with all those pears.

Annie

Roasted Pears

Peel and slice pears of your choice. Toss lightly with olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Lie in a single layer on a baking pan and roast in a 400° oven until golden brown.

Marilyn

Cheddar Pear Crisp

4 large ripe pears; peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, combine pears (very ripe red or canned), 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch and pinch of salt and pepper. Pour into buttered pie plate. Combine cheese, flour, butter, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt until crumbly; sprinkle over filling. Bake at 375° for 25 to 35 minutes or until cheese is melted and top is lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes. Serve warm

Marilyn

Stacie