What can I do with all these pears?

[Twinsane]

As the title says. Any suggestions for several kg of pears?

I don't have a press (though I'd love one!), nor a dehydrator and not even a juicer. The freezers are brimming though I could possibly manage to squash in a bit more if needed.

[mrswadders]

Pear wine? You can do a secondary ferment so it's sparkling - gorgeous stuff!

[Guest]

jarred mulled pears or if you have spare apples as well, them mincemeat.

[Twinsane]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm tempted with the pear wine mrswadders because sparkling pear wine sounds lovely, almost like perry, though I don't really drink wine since it always gives me heartburn

Norfolkgrey, I hadn't thought of mincemeat and yes I do have some apples to use up too. DH is expecting lots of apple crumbles and hates mince pies but I love them!

[Guest]

I never like mince pies until I made my own mincemeat I use a Hugh Fearn Thingy-me-bob recipe. Would you like me to post it?

[Twinsane]

Yes please!

[ldsau93]

I'd second Pear wine, i've just tried the first of this year's effort and it is LUSH. Even if you don't drink it yourself, there is a certain satisfaction from 'crafting' it and it's always a pleasure to give something home-made as a gift. Be careful with a secondary fermentation as you get into explosion territory if not super careful.

My other suggestion would be muffins, following any generic recipe for fruit or apple muffins.

[PyreneesPlot]

My mum bottles them in a brandy syrup - when the pears are all gone the remaining liquor is epic on icecream.

[nellie-m]

Another vote for the mincemeat recipe (pretty please)!

I have this wonderful old pear tree that every year literally bombards me with nice pears. I give them away left and right and still have to put them on the compost by the wheelbarrow... in spite of the dogs doing their best to help me clean up underneath the tree.

Anyway, last year I made some pear and pineapple jam (with fresh pineapple) which was really very nice, the first time I added ginger, the next time I tried a variation with lemon rind and a bit of lemon juice. Both somewhat unusual but lovely.

Only trouble was, I still had a few jars left when this year's windfall began...


(P.S - in case it hasn't been mentioned, try adding two or three pears in your next stir fry shortly before it's done. You might be pleasantly surprised. For example onion, pears, curry. YUM! Or use soya sauce instead of curry. )

[Nicos]

Lightly poach in Orange juice once you've cored and peeled the pears.
Add a few winter spices like ginger ,cinnamon, cloves...whatever you prefer to the poaching.
Check the pears aren't overcooked.
Remove pears and then reduce the Orange juice,

Freeze together...yummy with icecream or in a crumble, or even cold!

You could even jar them like this as NG suggests but don't reduce the juice so much

[Guest]

Mincemeat

Makes 4 x 450g jars

1kg pears , peeled , cored and chopped in to 1cm cubes
finely grated zest and juice of 2-3 oranges (you will need 200ml juice)
500g apples, bramley or other that cooks down to a puree.
200g currants
200g raisins
200g sultanas
100g orange marmalade
250g demera sugar
1/2tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 nutmeg, grated
50ml ginger wine (optional)
100g chopped walnuts (i tend to leave these out)
50ml brandy or sloe gin (I usually forget about this step )

Peel and chop the apple and put into a saucepan with the orange juice. Cook gently until tender, about 15mins. Blend to a puree in a liquidiser or push through a sieve. You should end up with about 700g of puree.

Put puree into a large bowl and add all other ingredients except brandy or gin. Mix thoroughly, then cover and leave to stand for 12 hours.

Preheat oven to 130oC/ gas mark 1/2. Put the mincemeat in a large baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 2-2 1/2 hours. Stir in brandy or gin, then spoon into warm, sterilised jars, making sure there are no air pockets. Seal and store in a dry, dark, cool place. Use within 12 months.

You could replace 100g of raisins or sultanas with crystalised ginger for a twist. You can try other variations as long as you aim for 700g puree and 600g dried fruit i.e plum and russet.

Good luck

Edit: I don't know how much of a cook type person you are, but I find 1 jar will do 12 deep filled individual pies.

These don't look the prettiest, but they are ruddy tasty if I do say so myself

[Nicos]

Mmm..that sounds yummy!....is it better kept until the following year like Xmas pudding, or can you eat it straight away?

[Guest]

^^^ Both are good. It makes your kitchen smell like christmas so a bit hard to resist. I find the flavour tends to meld if kept. I hope that makes sense - the flavour mingles together more

[Scarlet]

Chutney? This is my absolute favourite. Fantastic with pate.


2kg Apples
1kg Pears
1 1/2 kg Tomatoes
2kg Brown sugar
250g Sultanas
250g seedless raisans
1 litre cider vinegar - use 750ml at the beginning and add more if necessary
1 tbl spoon salt
teaspoon each of mace or nutmeg, cayenne pepper, ground cloves, black pepper and ground ginger.

Chop all fruit, add all ingredient to a very large pan, bring slowly to the boil and simmer until done.

[Twinsane]

Thanks all for your ideas.

ldsau93 : I love making things and giving it away and did it for several years until one year my brother politely told me that they never even try any of it. The only thing that's gone down a treat is my Christmas marmalade (basic marmalade with a splosh of whiskey). I'm the only one in our family that doesn't live on take-aways and freezer/packet meals. The only people who'd appreciate it are my other lotty friends who make it themselves

PyreneesPlot: I'm not a big brandy fan but did a google search out of interest and came across almond pears made with Amaretto which I love so that's on my to do list.

Nellie-m: Haha most of our dogs want the fruit too. I had one that used to climb the plum tree to get the plums off! Anyhoo... I don't suppose you have a base recipe for your pear & pineapple jam do you? I froze a load of pineapple earlier this year when it was on offer

Nicos: mmm... poached in orange and spices.... orange juice on the shopping list!

Norfolkgrey: The mincemeat is definitely on the list - even though DH doesn't like sultanas and raisins. Me and the kids love mince pies. Those mince pies look lovely and if they taste better I'll be putting on all the weight I lost over the summer. Oh well, that can be my new years resolution again

Scarlet: Chutney recipe saved too. I've got a few bags of tomatoes in the freezer too to make sauce over winter. I've just got to get some more jars and reading these ideas, I'm wishing I had more pears!