Pear Pie

Harvest Time Pear Pie

1 9-inch pie crust

10 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced

1 cup fig conserves

¾ cup sugar

2 Tbsp whole wheat flour

Pinch of salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cardamom

1-2 tbsp butter or margarine

Preheat oven 400°.

Combine sugar, flour, and spices together.  Add to pears, and mix well.  Fold in conserves. 

Spoon mixture into pie crust, and dot with 1-2 tbsp butter or margarine; lay top pastry over top.  Pinch edges all the way around, and crimp to seal.  Cut air vents in top of crust.  (Use a festive cookie cutter before putting top pie crust on — be sure not to cut all the way through.)

Bake at 400° for 50 minutes, reduce heat to 350° to cook an additional 10-15 minutes, sliding a sharp knife in one of the air vents to check tenderness of pears.  You may need to tent aluminum foil around the edges if they start to get too brown. 

Serve warm with ice cream if desired.

© Crackerberries 2012

Gingered Pear Butter

Gingered Pear Butter

2 3-inch cinnamon sticks

2 tsp whole cloves

12 cups pears (peeled, cored and coarsely chopped)

½ cup lemon juice

¼ cup orange juice (more or less)

9 cups sugar

2 tsp ground ginger

Prepare the preserving jars.  Put cinnamon and cloves in cheese cloth and tie top with string.  Place pears and lemon juice in preserving pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes. 

Add sugar, cheese cloth of spices, and ground ginger.  Turn heat up to medium high and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 45 minutes or until mixture is thickened. 

Remove from heat and discard spice bag; skim of foam if necessary and stir 2-3 minutes.  Ladle jam into hot sterilized jars and seal according to manufacturers instructions.  Process jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Yield: 4 ½ pints (72 oz)

© Crackerberries 2012