Name: Spiced Pear Butter
Total time: 4 h
Ingredients: 3 pounds ripe Bosc or Bartlett pears , halved, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces; 1½ cups pure pear juice; 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 star anise pod; ¼ teaspoon salt

Why This Recipe Works

We started with a recipe similar to our apple butter, testing batches with granulated versus brown sugar, pear juice, pear brandy, and apple juice. Each batch was too sweet and the spices completely overwhelmed the pear flavor. We scaled back, making a version with water and cinnamon alone, but this batch was too bland. Next, we swapped 100 percent pear juice for the water, but stayed away from sugar. We also tossed in one star anise pod along with the cinnamon stick for warmth and depth. Tasters were happier with this version, praising its pear flavor and hint of spice. It turned out that sugar had been masking the pear flavor. Up until now, we'd been treating this mixture the same as our apple butter—cooking the cut-up fruit and then passing it through a strainer. However, pear skins break down so much that flecks still ended up in the finished product. Surprisingly, tasters liked this rustic look and we were able to smooth out the puree by processing the cooked fruit in a food processor before cooking it down—no straining necessary.

Before You Begin

Ripe pears work best here. If your pears are still a little hard they may take longer to soften in step 1. It's important to use pure pear juice in this recipe; do not use juice blends or juice with added sugar. For safety reasons, be sure to use bottled lemon juice, not fresh-squeezed juice, in this recipe. This pear butter can be processed for long-term storage; see the instructions in this article.

Instructions

Bring pears and pear juice to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pears are very soft, about 30 minutes.

Transfer mixture to food processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Return puree to clean saucepan.

Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon stick, star anise pod, and salt. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is browned, thickened, and rubber spatula leaves distinct trail when dragged across bottom of pot, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Discard cinnamon stick and star anise pod. Let pear butter cool slightly. Using funnel and spoon, portion pear butter into two 1-cup jars, then let cool to room temperature. Cover, refrigerate, and serve. (Pear butter can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.)