Pears are the most mischievous fruit. Blink and they’ve gone over. One minute they’re unbearably hard, bland as chewed paper, the next they’re sopping ripe, not at all good to eat. And yet… a perfectly ripe pear, sweet, juicy and perfumed, is a beautiful thing, one of autumn’s treasures.
This year (2015), the pear blossom was caught by a rogue frost, but not all of it. Some trees are barren, while others are groaning under their own bounty. Yet others couldn't decide: one side is bare, the other abundant, such is the fickle April weather and our half and half climate in Ledbury, cusped between the chilly uplands of Malvern, and the sea-bathed air of the Severn vale.
The fine September weather has brought the fruit to a point of perfection, every bit of it, all at once. The problem is finding a way to capture the moment. Cooked pears in pies, tarts and crumbles are just satisfactory in my opinion but tend to blandness: the apple is superior as a cooking fruit. Wine poached pears however are good, and they can be prepared in quantity, bagged and frozen. Take wine (red or white, nothing posh), aromatic spices, a vanilla pod and some sugar and honey to make a sweet poaching broth, and commence simmering the peeled whole fruit. Each batch will take about 20 minutes to cook. Serve with anything creamy, as you would a tinned pear, or use in a trifle.
A variation on this is the wonderful pickled pear, sweet-sour and spiced , sure to bring alive a cold winter platter of meat, pork pie and cheese.
Pickled Pears
2 kg small hard pears: about twenty fruit (pick before fully ripe)
½ ltr local cider (or better, perry) vinegar
350 gm soft brown sugar
Stick of cinnamon, a tbsp allspice berries, 6 cloves, a tsp black peppercorns
A sliced lemon, pips removed
Peel the pears with a good potato peeler and put into cold water.
Prepare the syrup by dissolving the sugar in the vinegar and adding the other ingredients.
Add the pears and poach until just tender – between 15 and 20 minutes. Top up with a little water to cover the pears if need be.
Remove to sterilized jars (eg kilner).
Boil the liquid fiercely for about 5 minutes until thickened and concentrated. Pour into the jars covering completely the pears. If you've reduced your liquid too much and don't have enough, you could add some neat cider vinegar. Close the lids and leave to mature for a month. Keep in the fridge, once opened.
This year (2015), the pear blossom was caught by a rogue frost, but not all of it. Some trees are barren, while others are groaning under their own bounty. Yet others couldn't decide: one side is bare, the other abundant, such is the fickle April weather and our half and half climate in Ledbury, cusped between the chilly uplands of Malvern, and the sea-bathed air of the Severn vale.
The fine September weather has brought the fruit to a point of perfection, every bit of it, all at once. The problem is finding a way to capture the moment. Cooked pears in pies, tarts and crumbles are just satisfactory in my opinion but tend to blandness: the apple is superior as a cooking fruit. Wine poached pears however are good, and they can be prepared in quantity, bagged and frozen. Take wine (red or white, nothing posh), aromatic spices, a vanilla pod and some sugar and honey to make a sweet poaching broth, and commence simmering the peeled whole fruit. Each batch will take about 20 minutes to cook. Serve with anything creamy, as you would a tinned pear, or use in a trifle.
A variation on this is the wonderful pickled pear, sweet-sour and spiced , sure to bring alive a cold winter platter of meat, pork pie and cheese.
Pickled Pears
2 kg small hard pears: about twenty fruit (pick before fully ripe)
½ ltr local cider (or better, perry) vinegar
350 gm soft brown sugar
Stick of cinnamon, a tbsp allspice berries, 6 cloves, a tsp black peppercorns
A sliced lemon, pips removed
Peel the pears with a good potato peeler and put into cold water.
Prepare the syrup by dissolving the sugar in the vinegar and adding the other ingredients.
Add the pears and poach until just tender – between 15 and 20 minutes. Top up with a little water to cover the pears if need be.
Remove to sterilized jars (eg kilner).
Boil the liquid fiercely for about 5 minutes until thickened and concentrated. Pour into the jars covering completely the pears. If you've reduced your liquid too much and don't have enough, you could add some neat cider vinegar. Close the lids and leave to mature for a month. Keep in the fridge, once opened.
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