Chile Pepper Pear Preserves

Hot Chile Pepper Pear Preserves

Make this using the crunchy pears that are like apples.

Ingredients:

Pears

Sugar

Hot Chile Peppers

Gran Gala Liqueur

10 cups peeled, cored, coarsely chopped hard pears

1¼ cup water

Bring to boil with cover on, reduce heat and cook 20-30 minutes, stirring often to soften pears.  Drain excess water.

*1 cup roasted hot Chile peppers, de-seeded and cored and finely chopped.

7 cups sugar

Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer stirring often 1½ - 2 hours to further soften pears.  Return heat to medium-high and cook stirring often 45 minutes longer or until it reaches the **gel stage (220°). 

Remove from heat and stir in ¼ cup Gran Gala Liqueur, continue to stir 2-3 minutes longer to prevent the fruit from floating to the top; spoon into hot sterilized jars and process in boiling water bath 10 minutes. 

Yield 5 pints.

• To roast peppers, preheat oven to 450°.  Spread peppers on cookie sheet; roast 4-5 minutes until skins blister.  Place in zip lock bag to sweat in their skins for 10-15 minutes.  Once this is done it is easy to slide the tip of a spoon or butter knife in and slip out the seeds and white core.  WEAR GLOVES WHEN WORKING WITH HOT PEPPERS.

• The gel stage is reached at 220°.  Another way to test the gel stage is to place a small plate in the freezer.  Towards the end of cooking time, place a spoonful of the hot mixture on the plate, and return it to the freezer for two minutes.  Check to see if the mixture has gelled.

© Crackerberries 2012