Red Pear Butter with Sugar

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   To make pear butter, you need just two ingredients: pears and sugar. You can use any variety of pear—the key is that they're ripe and not hard.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash the pears well under running water to remove any dirt. Then peel them, cut them in half, and remove the cores.

3. Step 3:

   

   Cut the peeled pears into pieces and put them in the pot you'll cook the butter in. Use an enameled or glass pot—avoid aluminum, so the fruit juice doesn't react with it. The pieces can be any size; the shape doesn't matter here, since everything will be puréed later.

4. Step 4:

   

   Sprinkle the cut pears with sugar and let them stand for 3–4 hours to draw out their juices. You don't have to add all the sugar at once—if the pears are sweet on their own, you may need less than the recipe calls for.

5. Step 5:

   

   After that time, the pears will have released their juice. Set the pot over the heat and bring everything to a boil. Cook the pears over low heat for 30 minutes. By then they'll be very soft and starting to break down.

6. Step 6:

   

   Purée the whole pear mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Then return the pot to the heat and simmer for another 10 minutes. Keep stirring so the butter doesn't start to scorch. The longer you cook it, the thicker and darker it gets.

7. Step 7:

   

   Wash the jars well and sterilize them however you prefer—in the oven, in the microwave, or over steam. For the lids, just pour boiling water over them.

8. Step 8:

   

   Pour the boiling-hot pear butter into the prepared jars and seal them with lids. Wrap the jars in a warm blanket and let them cool completely that way. Why the blanket? It helps the butter cool as slowly as possible, which makes it set up even thicker. Store the cooled jars in a cool place. Enjoy!