Brown Sugar Pear Jam (for canning)
A flavorful, small batch pear jam lightly sweetened with brown sugar, giving it caramel flavor. The cardamom adds warmth and depth, making this a winning jam.
Yield: 3 half pints
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ pounds of pears, half of them peeled (I used Seckel, but I think any variety would work)
- 1 1/4 cups lightly packed brown sugar
- scant 1/2 teaspoon flaky salt
- juice of one large lemon
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom or (1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom if you grind it yourself in a mortar and pestle or spice mill. it’s more intense, so less is needed)
Instructions
- Sterilize jars in boiling water canner. and wash lids and tops with soapy water.
- Coarsely chop the pears, then combine them with the sugar in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer, stirring frequently and lightly mash with a potato masher the pears soften, until the mixture thickens and is syrupy. This will take about 45 minutes, and you will see larger bubbles forming in the simmer.
- Stir in the salt, lemon juice and cardamom, then simmer for 2 more minutes.
- Ladle the hot preserves into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims. Center the lids on the jars. Apply bands until the fit is just tight.
- Process the jars in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off the heat and let the jars sit for 5 minutes then remove the jars and let cool in a draft-free spot overnight. Check the lids for seal after 24 hours – they should not flex up and down when the center is pressed. Store in a cool, dark place for up to one year.
- Alternatively, if you don’t want to mess with the canning, you can skip the whole jar sterilizing and boiling water bath process -- just store in clean, air-tight jars in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Notes
barely adapted from Food in Jar's recipe