A dear friend had a huge Bosc pear harvest from her tree this year-- 700 pounds! I was one of the lucky beneficiaries. This vegan pear butter recipe is the result of a rave on Facebook by one of my friends. So, looking at several recipes, I have chosen what I think works to produce a silky, yummy, pretty healthy pear spread. The word "butter" does not mean that real dairy butter is involved (in fact, no fats!)
INGREDIENTS:
5 pounds of fresh Bosc pears, peeled, split, cored, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon dried ground ginger*
2 tablespoons dried ground cinnamon**
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup coconut sugar
pinch of salt (optional)
You can use this recipe for other
pears, such as Barlett, as well.
EASY METHOD:
1. Gather together your ingredients, as well as get out
- a stainless steel pot with a lid
- a silicone or wooden spoon
- a melon-baller (optional)
- a peeler
- a potato masher
- a stick blender (or you can use a regular blender)
2. Wash, peel and quarter pears, lengthwise. Core. A melon-baller turns out to be a really handy, quick way to core-- pears are especially easy to core when they are ripe. Level of ripeness is NOT a big deal, though, in making the pear jam.
3. Chop pears roughly and add to the pot on the stove. Stir and let them cook on medium heat for a few minutes, stirring to keep them from sticking. When they are starting to break down, mash and stir with the potato masher.
4. Add in the spices. You can opt to use other spices you prefer, and/or have available. I would suggest not to use too many unless you are a 'flavour whiz', in which case, go at it! Other spices might be: Star of anise, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom. Some of the online recipes had commenters complaining about the domination of spices so I think that less is better. Try some different combinations of two to see what you like.
5. Add a portion of the water (maybe 1/2) and the orange juice. Let the pear butter gently bubble and simmer for a while and if it looks like it is drying out, add more water. The pears I used were enormously juicy, but, on the other hand, you don't want to dry it up, so use your judgement. Let it simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Put the lid on and let it 'cook down'. But keep an eye on it. Check every so many minutes. Add a little more water if it is drying up.
6. Add the coconut sugar, and a pinch more spice if you think it is needed. Add a pinch of salt towards the end of the cooking.
7. When it is cooked down to about 3/4 of what you started with, use an immersion blender stick to make it smooth and creamy, or let it cool a bit and blend up in a regular blender.
ENJOY! Add the spicy pear butter to top toast, waffles, pancakes, ginger bread. Stir it into oatmeal, yogurt or your homemade granola!
NOTES: This is a really friendly recipe for people who don't cook. Just breathe and enjoy adding your personal touches. You don't even need to add a sweetener because ripe pears are so naturally sweet, and as you saw above, the amount of fluid you add is pretty much dependent on the juice volume of the pears themselves. I am going to try making a recipe with only a tablespoon of water or orange juice (or apple cider vinegar) to see how that works out!
Can the butter with the water bath method (google) if you wish, or just put it in a glass jar or other glass container in your fridge (with a tight lid).
If you have a bunch of other pears left to process, you could always make a delicious vegan fruit kuchen (cake) by substituting pears for the suggested fruit in this recipe here.
Try Caramel Pear Sauce Recipe 👉Here
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