Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

To peel or not to peel pears for pear butter


zoe b

Recommended Posts

We have an old pear tree that we don't really take care of--don't prune or treat for insects.

It sometimes has a nice crop of pears--which it does this year. The pears are small and hard--and have little brown specks on the skins--from insects or some kind of blight, I guess. But the meat is fine-- no spots at all.

They aren't bruises.

I dread having to peel them since they are so small--do you think it would be okay to just teim them, scrub them well and just cook as usual, straining the skin later, or is this a no no for whatever reason?

thanks--Z

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pear butter is actually better if the skins and seeds are cooked with the flesh.

This type of very firm pear is also one that can be candied whole - If you dip the pear into boiling water for a minute, it makes it much easier to peel and you can remove the core from the bottom - a metal potato peeler works for the little fruits, an apple corer is too big. Leave the stem attached.

The pears have to be simmered gently in at least four new batches of simple syrup of increasing sugar content. Simmered for about 4 hours each day, then allowed to cool in the syrup then transferred to the new batch - otherwise the sugar syrup will discolor and "stain" the pears.

Start with 1:1 sugar to water then 1.5:1 then 2:1 and finally 3:1 - the latter is very thick and you can store the pears in this syrup till ready to use. Some people like to add ONE drop of red food coloring to the last batch to produce pink pears.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...