Vanilla Pear Preserves

To date, this has been my favorite recipe.  Not because it's easy to make or smells good, but because I could literally drink the stuff with a straw.  Even without a straw.  I could take the lid off and drink it from the jar, easily.  It's delicious.  It tastes like velvet on a platinum spoon, if velvet tasted like melted pears laced with vanilla bean.  This stuff is absolutely to die for and will not last long if your house.  I say make a batch and throw all of the jars in the fridge, because you won't want to wait for the next jar to get cold enough to eat if it's in your cabinet. 

This was the one recipe I had zeroed in on and was keeping to the side - just waiting for pear season to finally get here.  I couldn't wait for pears to come into season so I could spend another joyful afternoon at Easy Pickin's and pick pears until I couldn't carry any more.  That usually means two full grocery bags - one for each arm.  The pear trees at Easy Pickin's are quite a distance back into the orchard - all the way up against the woods.  Although it's a magnificent walk out, on the way back with 30 pounds of pears, not as peaceful and serene. 

Asian pear tree at Easy Pickin's

I learned two major things while making my first batch of Vanilla Pear Preserves - 1) you cannot use Asian Pears for this recipe and 2) you can buy a ridiculous amount of fresh vanilla beans off of eBay for pennies.  Let's talk about #1 first.  Asian Pears - although delicious, they are not a true "pear".  I have come to learn that they are a hybrid fruit and have almost no acid in them.  So, for canning, they're kind of a disappointment.  If you are canning Asian pears you need a lot of lemon juice to balance out the acidity to make them "shelf  stable".  Adding a large quantity of lemon juice to my lemon pear preserves didn't sound like a party on a plate, so I had to make alternate arrangements.  Now, that doesn't mean that you can't make a batch of this with Asian pears and throw ALL of the jars right in the fridge.  They'll be fine that way but you cannot keep this recipe made with Asian pears on a shelf, in a cabinet, hiding behind your liquor bottles on top of the fridge, etc.   They will go bad and they will create more of a danger than anything else.  So, choose "real" pears - Bosc are what I used for my second batch and they worked beautifully. 

Now before we get into the meat of the story and talk about how the delicious aromas filled the house and how pretty the specks of vanilla bean are floating in the pear syrup, let's touch upon how awesome it is to buy vanilla beans on eBay.  I learned this from another blog and I couldn't believe it until I saw it for myself, delivered to my front door.  I literally bought a pound of vanilla beans for $20, free shipping and got 1/4 lb free, just for ordering the initial pound.  Do you know how many vanilla beans are in 1.25 pounds?  Neither do I, but it's a lot.  I have to admit that when they arrived, I felt a few waves of emotion rush over me.  Emotion #1:  pure bliss.  Emotion #2:  confusion.  Emotion #3:  fear.  All I could think when I saw the shady looking shrink wrapped bag of beans was, "is this legal?!?!"  I had to step back for a second and think about what I was looking at.  I was looking at a few hundred VANILLA BEANS.  Don't be ridiculous, Theresa.  Of course it's legal, they're just beans.  I just could not get over the fact that I spend over $10 on two shriveled up little beans in the grocery story that usually crack when I split them, and I just got a few hundred FRESH beans for $20.  True story, go check it out on eBay now.  Don't delay.  By the way, every time I open up the cabinet where the beans are hiding I am instantly hit with a wave of vanilla bliss.  Love it.

Let's talk about the actual cooking process a bit before we get to the recipe.  I did burn my tongue a few times, ok more than a few, while making this.  I was so eager to taste it that I kept trying it and every time I tried it, I burned myself.  I realize I should have learned the first time I was burned but I kept going back for more.  I love the stuff so much it was addicting.  I love how the diced pears melt just a bit but don't completely fall apart and dissolve.  You want them soft, to where you can smash them against the side of the pot with the back of your spoon.  You do not want them falling apart into a liquid mess if you touch a piece of them in the pot.  When they're at the right consistency and you spread this delicacy onto a piece of toast or slather it with some cheese, they will half give in to falling apart.  They will break away from their form a bit as you're spreading it on the toast, but a few chunks will remain.  That is the best part. 

This is before I smashed them up with the side of the spoon

After I poured the preserves into the jars and processed them, I realized that the specs of vanilla bean were so perfectly distributed it was almost like a painting.  I've always been a fan of vanilla bean specs - I used to like seeing them in vanilla bean ice cream.  It made me think I was eating something really good.  I guess I've had a thing for vanilla beans for a long time and just never realized it. To me, vanilla bean specs in your dessert mean decadence and something really awesome is about to happen.  I've never had a bad vanilla bean and now that I have over a pound of them, I will be enhancing my desserts even more freely than before. 

This recipe is a perfect Christmas gift or even a party gift if you're having a big Thanksgiving get-together.  Make everyone a jar of this, throw a festive tag and ribbon on it and you're going to amaze all your guests.  They'll wonder how you ever came up with the idea of mixing pears and vanilla and wow! look at all the vanilla bean specs in it!  Yep, you'll be the hostess with the mostess.  You'll impress even your toughest critic and they'll have a new found admiration for your canning and hostess abilities. 

Batch #1 - Asian Pears (kept in fridge)

Again, I bow down to http://www.foodinjars.com/ who came up with this recipe.  This recipe was so amazing that the only thing I did to change it was added more vanilla beans.  Instead of the 2 the recipe calls for, I added 4 or 6.  I love vanilla, what can I say?

Pear Vanilla Jam

• 8 cups chopped Bosc pears
• 4-6 vanilla beans, split and scraped
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 packet liquid pectin

Add the pears, sugar and beans as well as everything you scraped from them to a large pot.  Cook this mixture until the diced pears can be smashed against the side of the pot with a spoon, but not so long to where they become liquid.  If you want, you can  make a smoother sauce by using a masher or an immersion blender and blending the mixture. I like my mixture a bit chunky, so I just smashed the pears against the side of the pot until I had the consistency I was looking for.

Add the packet of liquid pectin and bring to a serious boil.  You have to let the mixture boil for 5 minutes with the pectin added so it activates and thickens the consistency of the mixture. 

Ladle into hot, sterilized jars and process in a boiling water canning bath for 10 minutes.  Remember to let them sit, undisturbed, for a few hours after you take them out of the canner.  They need to rest, cool down and relax.  Of course, make sure you test the seal on all of them before you put them on a shelf.  Kept in a cool, dry place these will keep up to a year.

If giving as a gift, create a designer tag with your own logo and tie it on with a pretty ribbon.  Your guests will love you for it.



Batch #2 - Bosc Pears in Weck Jars



Brandied/Amaretto Vanilla Peaches

What's better than boozy fruit? Seriously.  Fruit soaked in delicious booze sitting on your shelf.. just waiting... waiting for a cold winters day for you to pop it open and pour it all over vanilla ice cream, or even better yet, eat directly out of the jar with a spoon.  Seriously.  I am serious.  Delicious.

I probably should have done this earlier in the summer but that was clearly before my canning craze.  It would have made sense to start canning early summer while I'm on a 7 week hiatus from teaching, but no, I wait until a few days before school starts to "suddenly" feel the need to can everything in sight.  There's always next summer.  And next fall and winter.  You get it.

The other night I'm pacing in-between the kitchen and my couch - watching tv.  It's really doing nothing for me - I need to make something.  If I make brownies or cookies I'll just eat them.  So what are my options... let's see...oh yes, that's right.  Canning.  Preserving.  Squishing as much fruit as I can into a jar and ladling sweet, sweet brandy or amaretto over those beautiful peaches.  Every time I get up off the couch, my dog Chloe decides it's a requirement that she gets up and follows me the whole 10 feet into the kitchen. She's confused.  I'm confused.  I want to watch tv and relax but the other half of me wants to can.  The canning side wins.  Chloe and I head into the kitchen, defeated.

I must have bought 9-10 pounds of peaches.  You know, my favorite store down the road.  That's right - I got out of there with ONLY peaches.  Then I went next door to the packy and bought a cheap(er) bottle of Brandy.  Then 3 bottles of wine, you know, to have.. just in case.  Then I see a nip of Amaretto sitting on the counter and it makes me think - what if... ok let's get a decent size bottle of Amaretto too.  Might as well, right?  Amaretto itself is delicious.  I get home and crack it open - pour myself a little sip. Mmm. Warm and sweet and smooth.  Brandy, eh - not really up my alley, but I pour a little sip just so he doesn't feel left out.  I pour myself another little sip of Amaretto.  Alright, onto the peaches.

Peaches are slippery little suckers when they have been peeled.  To peel a peach - please do not labor over the counter for 47 hours with a vegetable peeler.  Get a pot of water, bring it to a boil, make a small "X" in the bottom of each peach and carefully drop those babies in the boiling water.  Boil for ONE minute then immediately transfer to an ice water bath (fancy term for a bowl of very cold water with tons of ice in it).  Let the peaches hang out in their Arctic bath until they are cool enough to handle - it shouldn't take long.  Once you can grab them and they don't burn your fingerprints off, start peeling.  The skin should almost literally want to fall off.  Basically like they got so hot in the boiling water, then didn't have time to decide what to do because they were immediately drowned in a freezing bath of ice water.  They're confused.  At this point they just want to get their skin off, so let it happen.  After I de-skinned all of my scared little guys, I put them back in the cold water and let them bob around until I was ready for the next step.  They're numb and naked - stunned by the cold water - kind of like going to Ogunquit Beach in Maine - so cold you're stunned then don't know what to do so you just stay in the water.  I swear, it affects your mind. 

Next you just want to de-pit the peaches and then cut them up into pieces.  You can be dainty about this if you'd like but it's time consuming.  I started off by cutting my peaches into 8's.  I was very meticulous about how each piece was the same uniform size, then about 5 peaches in I got a little sloppy.  Between making sure you don't cut your fingers off and avoiding the flinging of these buttery peaches onto the floor, the idea of making Martha Stewart slices was lost.  I didn't want ugly chunks floating in a jar, so I tried to do my very best.  In the end, they turned out pretty nice.  I was sick of cutting peaches by the time it was over, that is for damn sure. 

The peaches can't just go into the jars alone.  They need something to swim around in.  I concocted a sweet syrup for these eager little slices based on a 1951 recipe from the NY Times by Jane Nickerson on Brandied Peaches.  Here is the original recipe:

1951 Brandied Peaches

Ingredients:

3 pounds ripe peaches
3 cups sugar
About 1/2 cup brandy

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using the tip of a paring knife, make a shallow “X” in the bottom of each peach. Add the peaches, one at a time, to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Remove the peach from the water and plunge into a bowl of ice water. Repeat with the remaining peaches. Peel off the skins, then pit the fruit and quarter the flesh.

2. In another large pot, combine 3 cups water and the sugar and bring to a boil. Add the peaches and simmer until just soft.

3. Have the jars, bands and new lids scalded and ready. (To scald, dip the jars and rims in boiling water. You don’t need to sterilize the jars, as you will be processing them for more than 10 minutes.) Simmer the lids in hot water to soften the rubberized flange. Gently pack the peaches into the jars.

4. Boil the leftover syrup until it thickens slightly, then spoon it over the fruit, filling the jars ¾ full. Use a butter knife to release any air bubbles caught in the jars. Pour in enough brandy to fill the jars, leaving ¼ inch of headroom. Wipe the rims, cover with the lids and screw on the bands fingertip-tight. Place the jars on a rack in a big pot and cover with 2 to 3 inches of water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium and gently boil for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and then, after about 5 minutes, remove the jars. Allow them to cool, untouched, for 4 to 6 hours. Check the seals and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Refrigerate after opening.

* Cook's notes - If you are canning at a higher altitude, be sure to consult the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving for proper instructions and canning times.



Here are my little guys, swimming around in their sugary syrup



Up to them swimming around, I followed the recipe exactly, except I made it much, much larger than it was originally set for.  I had my hot, sterilized jars ready and waiting so I just filled them up with as many peach slices as I could.  I ended up using 7 pint jars - 4 of them I did exactly as the recipe said:  filled with peaches, then ladled the hot syrup 3/4 of the way up the jar and topped the jars off with Brandy.  Leave enough head space, cap and process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes.  Technically, since you're processing them for over 10 minutes, they don't need to be sterilized.  Any time you process over 10 minutes, they are sterilized automatically in the process of the water bath.  Easy enough to remember for next time - less prep work. 

I had three jars left and a very alluring bottle of Amaretto staring at me.  I shouldn't forget to mention the insane amount of vanilla beans I recently got from eBay.  Who knew that $25 would get you 1.25 POUNDS of vanilla beans? In the store you pay $10+ for two shriveled, dried out beans.  I got over a pound of fresh vanilla beans for 25 bucks.  Amaretto and vanilla play nice together.  The addition of peaches would just create a party in a jar if all three mingled together.  So I did it.  Instead of topping the last 3 jars off with Brandy, I topped them off with Amaretto and slid in a sliced vanilla bean as well.  Some of the vanilla beans have this sweet little curl to the bottom of their tails, they remind me of seahorses. 

All in all, this was a very productive canning project.  The only thing I don't like is how the peaches float.  Technically, that's an imperfection.  It just means I didn't get enough of the air out of the peach slices so they're floating to the top. There are ways around this, but honestly, I don't care.  I'm pretty sure my boozed up peaches are just as happy in their party jars floating then they would be sinking to the ground.  Actually, if I were a schnockered up peach, I'd rather float.