Spiced Pear Butter
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen.
Ripe pears are simmered until soft, pureed smooth, then cooked down slowly with cinnamon and star anise until they turn a deep brown and thick enough to hold a trail from a spatula. Only pear juice goes in to sweeten it; a long, slow reduction concentrates the pears' own sweetness.
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Method
- 1
Simmer the pears. Bring the pears and pear juice to the boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pears are very soft, about 30 minutes.
- 2
Purée. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Return the purée to the cleaned saucepan.
- 3
Cook down. Stir in the lemon juice, cinnamon stick, star anise and fine salt. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is browned and thickened and a rubber spatula dragged across the bottom of the pan leaves a distinct trail, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- 4
Jar and chill. Discard the cinnamon stick and star anise. Let the pear butter cool slightly, then use a funnel to portion it into two 250 ml jars. Let the jars cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate.
Storage
Let the pear butter cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 month; this version isn't processed for shelf-stable canning, so keep it chilled rather than storing it at room temperature. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Free sugars
1.7 g per serving
3.4 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 6.8 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large saucepan
- food processor
- funnel
- two 250 ml jars
- rubber spatula
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 34 kcal |
| Protein | 0.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 8.2 g |
| of which sugars | 5.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 1.7 g |
| Fat | 0.1 g |
| of which saturates | 0 g |
| Fibre | 1.4 g |
| Salt | 0.05 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
0.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
