This is my October post for Secret Recipe Club Group B. Interested in joining in on the fun? Find out more information here!
This month I was assigned Theresa from Island Vittles. I had such a hard time picking one recipe to make this month. I ended up bookmarking 4 or 5 different things to go back and try, especially the rosemary and parmesan popovers…yum!
I finally settled on a recipe, pear butter. It sounded delicious and very seasonal.
Ironically enough, I am posting this exactly 1 year after Theresa originally posted the recipe!
Pear butter is very similar to other fruit butters I have made. It’s smooth and sweet characteristics make it ideal for spreading on toast, spooning over ice cream, or stirring into yogurt.
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While I was making the delicious vat of fruit butter I started to think of possible uses…
My first thought was a turkey panini with granny smith apple slices, crispy bacon and smoked gouda. Then I thought how I could share this with a lot of people. An hor d’oeuvres tray with the fruit butter as a center piece, bread, fruit, cheese, a few salty meats and a bottle of wine would be tasty too.
This recipe is great because it leaves some room to improvise. I cut back on the sugar from the original recipe, added a bit more liquid when I started cooking the pears, and chose to add a bit of vanilla extract. But you could always adjust the recipe to your liking, maybe add in some spices or a bit of brown sugar.
A side note to those using a blender, it takes a little longer to puree all the fruit. If you have an immersion blender or good food processor that is your best bet.
Pear Butter
Ingredients:
- 6 1/2 lbs (about 12 large) Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar*
- Zest of 1 medium organic lemon
- 1 vanilla bean, split (don’t cut through the ends!)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups white sugar*
*I made a few changes to the recipe: I didn’t have any apple cider vinegar but… I had apple cider and vinegar. So I added 1/4 cup white vinegar and 2/3 cup apple cider. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla extract and cut down the sugar to 1 1/2 cups.
Directions:
- Combine the pears, vinegar, lemon zest, vanilla bean, and salt in a large saucepan. Cook 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pears are soft. My pears were not very ripe so I cooked the mixture for about an hour.
- Remove from the heat, remove the vanilla bean (but don’t throw it away!), and allow the mixture to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Once slightly cooled puree until smooth, and pour the puree through a fine mesh strainer. Press on all the lumps to get as much butter as you can.
- Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean insides into the strained puree. Add the sugar and cook over medium-low heat for an hour to an hour and a half. It will be sweet and thick when done.
About bigfatbaker
This is the perfect time of year for pear butter! I bet this was fantastic!
I love this, pear butter sounds amazing
All the best,
Birthe
Yummo – love your use of vanilla! I like to puree my fruit in a food mill – the kids get a kick out of it too.
I would LOVE to get a food mill for things like this but there is absolutely no room left in my kitchen, haha.
A food mill is a great thing for your Xmas wish list. I’d be happy to “store” it for you until you have a bigger place! (I’ve always wanted one…)
Thanks for taking time to have a look around Island Vittles! Your pear butter looks delicious…and you`ve got some awesome ideas to start using it…theresa
Thank you for stopping by! I enjoyed reading through your recipes
I can’t wait to go back and make more!
This looks wonderful. I might have to make this for Christmas gifts. Thanks!!!
We just love Apple Butter, and I know that we will just love this Pear Butter, it looks so good. Thanks so much for sharing and its fun cooking with you in the SRC!
Miz Helen
Southwestern Chicken and Potato Soup
This looks delicious and so perfect for fall. I’m so glad I found out about it through SRC – great choice of recipe!
Love pears and this look dleicious!!
I love fruit butters and will have to try making pear butter some day. great job!
I’ve seen a few fruit butters around, I have got to try making my own too. Bookmarked this for later!
I can just imagine how good that would be on a scone or a piece of toast. Great pick!
I bet that vanilla just takes it over the edge!
I love pear butter! I gotta make it!
I love using fruit butters in all sorts of savory applications! this sounds awesome.
I’ve never tried pear butter, only apple, but it sounds wonderful.
If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my group “A” SRC recipe this month: Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
Love all the suggestions on ways to use the pear butter… you have my mouth watering! Yum!
Great SRC post!
Yum! Looks great! Fun to participate in SRC with you!
I really love pear butter. The way I make it with spices and such, it tastes very similar to apple butter. Last year, I got a whole bushel full of cooking pears and we canned some serious pear butter. It’s great on zucchini bread, graham crackers and ham and cheese melted sandwiches!
Here’s my recipe…http://fromchapelhilltochickenville.blogspot.com/2010/11/crock-pot-apple-butter-with-cinnamon.html
I just wish I could find someone local who likes to can. Seems very few people do it anymore and sharing the work/ fun would make it more enjoyable.
I have always wanted to make my own Pear Butter. This looks yummy and easy!
I have not made any fruit butter YET! But it’s on my list TO-DO!!!
Thank you for being a part of Secret Recipe Club, I really enjoy this group and being your hostesss. My recipe for this month was Frozen Breakfaast Burritos, even though I made these a few weeks ago for Monday’s post, I just made a second batch today!
If you haven’t checked them out yet, please stop by!
http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/2011/10/frozen-breakfast-burritos-secret-recipe.html
Pear butter? Brilliant! Perfect for these fall days. Love this!
Mmmm.. I love homemade butter and yours looks excellent.
This looks so good! I’ve never made homemade fruit butter but have always wanted to.