Bottled Fruit: Belgian Pears recipe
Comments(109)
I breezed onto the internet just now to see entries for Belgian Pears. I thought that they could be a traditional dessert. Well, in Belgium, they are not. Which is a shame, as anyone, from the Belgians to the Bengalese would love this dessert. Forget any memory of dull bottled fruit. This wonderful concoction just happens to be preserved in a jar. We tend to include this for dinner parties when we’re feeling under pressure. Many jars of this superb non-alcoholic scrumptiousness are patiently sitting in our barn, waiting to be opened and enjoyed.
Our own pears have been rotten this year. Barely a handful from the entire tree. So I drove over to the farm shop at Westley to stock up for this recipe. They had several sorts of pears but none of their own. The lady in the shop explained that their pears had failed this year, due to lack of water. They had a choice, water the potatoes or the pears.
This is a pity as the Westley pears are the best that I’ve found to buy around here. Their potatoes are pretty good too. This is the first year that I’ve tried them and it’s well worth dropping in for a bag if you’re passing. They are just like home – growns.
The recipe for Belgian Pears was given to me by my generous friend Jo. It’s great if you have a glut of pears but even if we have a poor year, I buy pears for this recipe. Belgian Pears are a superb finale for a special meal. They taste very grown up with a real of depth of flavour. Friends find it hard to believe that they are not laced with some exotic liqueur.
We put the pears into le parfait jars that we seal in a bain marie (how do I seal Le Parfait jars? See tricks and tips below). We always make a few small jars for Christmas presents. Belgian Pears last a good year; we are still enjoying the massive batch that I made last October.
Belgian Pears recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 kilos of pears
- 500g of white granulated sugar
- 150 ml of white wine vinegar
Method:
- Wash and peel the pears. Leaving the stalk on.
- Melt the sugar in the vinegar and any pear juice in a large heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Add the pears and simmer gently with a lid tight fitting lid for three hours.
- Remove the lid and simmer for a further three hours with the lid off.
- Pot into sterilised jars and seal in a Bain Marie.
- Test the seals when cold before labelling and storing.
- N.B. You need 2 kilos of pears. 1 kilo doesn’t make enough juice if you are going to bottle them.
Tips and tricks:
- How do I sterilise Le Parfait jars and rubber rings?
Le Parfait jars can be used over and over again, as long as they are washed and sterilised just before use. Use new rubber rings every time the jar is reused. (Rubber rings are available from good kitchen shops. Living in the country, I tend to buy up a few packs if I see them so as to have them to hand when we start bottling). The sterilising method that we use is simple. Just before making the chutney, I quickly wash and rinse the jars and place them upside down in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 160c/140c for fan assisted. When the oven has reached the right temperature I turn off the heat. The jars will stay warm for quite a while. I only use plastic lined lids for preserves as the all-metal lids can go rusty. I boil these for five minutes in water to sterilise them. If I use Le Parfait jars, I do the same with the rubber rings.
- How do I vacuum seal Le Parfait jars?
Fit a new rubber ring to your washed and sterilised Le Parfait jars, and fill to the level indicated on the jar, (this will be a line on the side of the jar). Put the jars into a deep saucepan and put an old tea towel between them so that they can’t jiggle together and break. Pour water to a level that generously covers the jars (at least 2 ?” above the lids). Bring the water slowly to the boil. When the water boils turn off the heat and let the jars stand submerged until cool.
This method works well for us and we have never found a bad seal when we come to open the jars. It’s hard to prise the lids off if there is a vacuum seal. I usually give the lids a bit off a tug to check the seals. We sometimes use glass preserving jars with screw top lids (not old jam jars but a Kilner type of jar). Some people think that these are safer to use as you can easily see whether you have a vacuum as there is a small section in the centre of the lid that is concave if you have a obtained a good seal. Use the same method as outlined above.
USE THE INSTRUCTIONS ABOVE AT YOUR OWN RISK. ALL ‘CANNING’ /PRESERVING METHODS VARY SLIGHTLY FOR EACH TYPE OF JAR, SO TRY AND KEEP THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH THE JARS IN A SAFE PLACE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
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Thanks for this delicious recipe. I have been looking for something quick and easy to make with our glut of pears
Michele
Hi Michele,
These are so delicious and people can’t believe they are just pears, sugar and water without the demon alcohol. Great for a dinner/supper/lunch party when you are pressed for time. A small jar makes a great present too.
Thanks for leaving a comment.
Hi, you mention the use of water in your reply to Michele Owen’s comments on Belgian pear recipe, but don’t mention water in the ingredients list for the recipe.. should we add water, if so how much?! Many thanks.
Hi Jenny,
Sorry I should have said vinegar. There is water from the condensation of the closed saucepan. Don’t whatever you do add water. The condensation and the pears seem to produce a lot of fluid. Water would ruin the intense taste.
ok, thanks!
Can I make this recipe in my Rayburn instead of on top of stove? Also, I usually sterilize my jam jars in the Rayburn; can I put the rubber seals on the Le Parfait jars and put them in the Rayburn too, or will it ruin them? (I’ve never used them before)Finally, you mention when making a seal to put water level 2″ above lids presumably you have lids hanging down (open) for this?
Hi Tessa,
You probably can, I don’t now of anyone who has. The simmer has to be the gentlest simmer possible. I wouldn’t put the rubber seals in the Rayburn, sterilise them in boiling water.
Sealing them: I put the pears in Le Parfait jars. Seal them and then simmer them in a Bain Marie on the top if the stove, this seems to do the trick. However, the conventional and safest method is to submerge the jars in water (sealed) as per our instructions.
Will there be enough fluid to cover the pears in the jars (as you only start with 150ml vinegar)or is this not important? If fluid is needed would it be ok to cover them with sugar syrup? And have you tried flavouring with nutmeg & cinnamon?
Hi Lesley,
The pears create their own juice, more than enough to cover them if you follow the recipe exactly. Try the recipe first before adding any other spices. The flavour is deep and rich and might be spoiled by the other spices.
Use the gentlest heat setting for the simmer.
Hello! I am getting lots of pears from a lovely freecycle fairy and was wondering how many jars the one recipe fills. I have the 1.5/1.8 Litre Le Parfait jars. Are they a good size or do you think I should use 1 Litre ones? Do the pears shrink as they’re cooked? I’m asking as I need to bring them up to university from Bristol next time I go home and don’t know how many to take! Also…..how long do they last once the jars are opened and how do you eat them? On their own or do you then add them to other recipes? Thank you!
Hi Minamoo,
I haven’t made our Belian Pears this year yet but as far as I remember we got 2 large (2k jars and several small 0.5k jars from the recipe). We made it twice and the second batch didn’t make as much as the first batch. Sorry to be so wooly.
Once opened they will keep for a couple of weeks i the fridge. You serve them on their own with possibly a little cream. They are very special.
Me again! The freecycle fairy brought the pears round and I must say…….they are monsters! Unless they shrink quite a bit, getting them out of the jar once I have got them in there is going to be interesting! Lol! I am SO looking forward to making the pears! I have decided to use lots of smaller 1L jars so I can give a jar to my other half’s parents for christmas. So far they will be getting a jar of jam, a bottle of cordial and a jar of pears. I love this foraging business!
Hi Minamoo,
They will shrink. Good idea to use the smaller jars. They make a great present. Love to hear how you get on when you make them.
Hello! I am about to start cooking my pears but I need some advice! They are rather small pears but a little hard. DO they still need the full 6 hours? How will I know when they’re done? Thanks!
Hi Minamoo,
What is ‘rather small’? I have made this recipe with giant pears (don’t know the weight) and our pears 85g each. I used the same cooking time.
I do hope that this helps.
They weigh about 50g each but they’re not soft pears. They’re the hard crunchy ones. Do you think I should cook them for the same amount of time anyway? On an aside…..you have no idea how much I want to lift up the lid and have a peak at them! This is an exercise in supreme self control for me! lol!
Hi Minamoo,
I always use hard pears for this recipe. The reason for the long cook is to mature the juice. The simmer has to be the merest twinkle.
Perhaps you could cook them for 2 hours in the final stage – to be quite honest, I just don’t know as they are very small pears.
If it was me I would look after two hours, last half of the recipe. The syrup needs to be dark brown and fragrant. If you have managed just a trickle of a simmer I would leave them for the 3 hours if not, I would remove them after 2 hours or so.
Love to hear how you get on.
Thank you Thank you thank you! The pears are truly sublime! The syrup tastes incredible and the bits of pear I tried are just out of this world. And the best part is………….they look just as gorgeous as they taste! I can’t wait to share these with my other half. I’m sure he will love them as much as I do! I have bottled them and sealed the jars that I had been keeping warm in an oven for the past hour but I am however going to wait till tomorrow evening to process them as i am absolutely shattered (it is now 3:15am). Goodnight!
Hi Minamoo,
This is brilliant. Great news that they worked well for you. I am so pleased.
I’ll be trying these pronto, as the neighbor’s unattended tree drops zillions of hard pears onto my yard and I have never known what to do with them. Thx.
Hi Suzanne,
I do hop that these work well for you. I’m going to make some jars as well this weekend.
Hi, I am interested in trying out your recipe as we have dozens of pear (mostly conference) which need preserving. A friend just fills preserving jars with raw peeled pears and covers with a cooled syrup. I am reluctant to try this as I cannot find any recipe on the internet which does not involve cooking the pears. Anyway before I try your recipe, do you think I could use dry white wine instead of white wine vinegar. We make our own wine and I use it in cooking where the receipe says white wine vinegar – I can never find white wine vinegar in our local supermarket. What do you think. Thanks, Dianne
Hi Dianne,
I think that if you used white wine you would have an entirely different result. The wine vinegar enhances the flavour of the pears. The taste of this dish is truly wonderful. It is the only preserved pear recipe that I have tasted that doesn’t make the pears insipid and too sweet.
You could try adding the juice of half a lemon and the zest, if you try this with white wine as the lemon would bring out the pear flavour. If you try it with your wine, I’d love to hear how you get on!
husband has gone to work, so i am secretly collecting ingredients for this recipe! i will be “going on a pear hunt” over the next few days, any advice as which varieties would be best? unfortunetly the neighbours pears have all gone over…. i will be ready next year!
Hi Sam,
The best pears for this recipe are the hard pears(such as Conference). Soft pears would not work nearly so well.
I am going to be making a batch tonight with the last from our tree.
thank you for the very speedy reply, will let you know how it goes!
I have just made this wonderful recipe and can’t wait to try the pears, however it just occured to me to check how long you usually store them before eating them? As I assume the flavour improves with keeping? Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe! pumpkin~power
Hi pumpkin-power,
They are ready to eat now. The first year that we made them they tasted the same for the year and then they gradually softened (still good but not quite as good)!
I have some old ones in the barn and I have just made a new batch. Perhaps I should use the juice for a pear liqueur?
hi,
moment of panic, it’s nothing i’m sure but thought i’d better check! my saucepan isn’t that big, as a result the pears are piled on top of each other. is this going to be a problem or should i ask father christmas for a bigger pan?
Hi Sam,
As long as you can get the pears in the saucepan and put the lid on you will be fine!
yum! what a grown up treat! husband came home to find busy bee wife bottling the pears and shaking the sloe gin and raspberry gin! i will definately be making this again and your instructions were so clear and concise that i didn’t blow the house up. thank you!
Hi Sam,
They are delicious. I am going to make some more for Christmas presents.
hi,
This recipe sounds just what I’m after to use several pounds of pears from a kind neighbour’s tree. I have a couple of questions though…
Is there any hint of a vinegar taste left once the pears are cooked? Or does it resemble a sweet chutney/ I hate vinegar intensely and don’t like chutney either.
Tracy
Hi Tracy,
There is no taste of vinegar, just sweet pears in an intense pear syrup.
I have now made many bottles of these delicious pears and given several as gifts.
Thankyou so much for the recipe.
Gracie from Australia
Hi Gracie
I’m so pleased that you liked the recipe. They keep for ages!
Wow, they are simply delicious! I found this page by just google searching for a recipe for pears and had 2 cases of pears to use up. I had bottled the majority of them already using Fowlers Vacola bottles (which is our traditional method of bottling in Australia, google it to see) and I just had to have a go at this recipe. Wow, they really are good. I found though, that I didn’t need to simmer them for as long as 3 hours and then another 3 hours so what I did, was, to simmer them in the pan with the lid fitting tighly for about 1.5 hours, then I put them and the juices into the sterilised jars, added the rings, lids and clips and simmered them in the boiler for about another hour. This did the trick and we ate the few that just couldn’t fit into the jars (no sacrifice at all). I made some jam with the very soft pears and am so impressed with this recipe that I am going to buy some more pears next week and bottle some more as I have run out of pears. I used Josephine pears which are fabulous for bottling as they are pretty firm and don’t have that tall neck to peel and fit into the jars.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know as someone else may find this info useful if they are in Australia and have a fowlers sterilsing/bottling unit. We do have the jars you mention here, but they aren’t so well known as Fowlers are. I don’t know if you have anything like them over there or not?
Do you think freezing would work as well as the parfait jar method?
Hi Julie O
So pleased that the recipe worked well for you.
I don’t think that we have Fowler’s jars over here – I haven’t seen them in the shops around here.
Hello Felicity
I don’t know whether freezing would work as well as bottling. Sorry. I do know that if you bottle them you’d have longer to devour them. They keep for at least a year.
Dear Sam
Am about to embark on your belgian pears recipe and wanted to check whether I am right to not core the pears? Do you find you can eat it pips and all? Hope you can advise.
By the way made the roehip and apple jelly a few weeks ago – it was scrummy!
Many Thanks.
Hi Jane
Just peel the pears as per the recipe instructions. The pears are cooked whole. When you eat them you can decide whether to eat the cores or not. We leave them as far as I remember.
Great that the jelly turned out well!
Thanks very much – what a prompt reply! I will go an get on with it!
Hi…this recipe sounds gorgeous. I just wondered when it comes to actually eating them do you warm them up or eat them cold?
Hi Ourloora
We eat these cold with cream. They are delicious.
Hi, When plated up at the end of the process are they still whole pears. In summer (Australia) I plan to use the pears in my restaurant for dessert. That is when we have a lot of group bookings on alternative drop menus.
Thanks
Hi Jim
Yes they are whole pears. They are eceptionally good.
I am just finishing the Belgian Pears receipe as I am making some Cherry Jam to add to the many jars we have already made of varying sorts. We have had great fun this year making jams, chutneys and bottling fruit. We got some cherries yesterday from Kent (yummy) and have bottled some in Cherry Brandy and also made some jam, again using Cherry Brandy. The pears are on their last simmer and I can’t wait to get them bottled and even to taste them. What a wonderful website – I keep coming back to it again and again.
PS – Whilst writing the last comment I forgot to add that I am going to serve these with Marscapone Cheese – they should be delicious. I’ve saved some cherries from the jam making to do pancakes and will serve these with the Marscapone Cheese too.
Hello Enid
Delighted that you are enjoying the site. Marscapone cheese would be great with the pears, Thanks for the tip.
Hello!
Just wanted to say that I left a message about hard pears on the apple and blackberry jam page, but after reading the comments I think you will probably direct me to this amazing recipe! I just can’t wait to try it. I too am becoming a frequent visitor to your site and just wanted to say thanks for sharing your wisdom with us – it’s much appreciated,
Trish
Hello there again!
I am soon to try this recipe…I don’t have Le Parfait or Kilner jars but I do have alot of 1lb screw top jars (they have plastic inside the lid, I think thay are ok quality)…will these work, I assume I will still have to vacuum seal them?
Just out of interest,why do these need vacuum sealing and the jams do not(or should I vacuum seal all my jams pronto?!)
Thanks a million
Trish
You won’t get the pears into traditional jam jars without breaking them all up. Vacuum sealing keeps the pears in tip top condition and seals the jars which you couldn’t do with jam jars. Its’ worth buying the proper kilner jars and the pears are delicious. No – you don’t need to vacuum seal your jam, the heat from the hot jars and the jam itself is sufficient. We’ve just spent the day today making plum, plum and ginger jam and plum chutney. Great fun but soooo messy.
Enid
Hello Trish
I agree with Enid. Jam jars won’t work for this as they are too small and probably not strong enough.
It’s worth investing in some good Kilner or Le Parfait jars. The seals need to be replaced each year but they are not too expensive.
Lakeland are now selling kilner jars.
Hi Enid
Thanks for your help and advice.
Thank you both for the advice, I am learning so much from you all!
Trish
Can anyone tell me when I should pick my pears to make this recipe? We have lived in Cambs for 2 years and have a tree in the back garden which produced lots of fruit in 2007, virtually none last year and has lots again this year. We did nothing with the 2007 crop because they were hard and we were busy with new house and new baby, but I don’t want to waste this year’s glut and have already printed out the Belgian pears recipe. Should I bottle now, or wait till they start dropping to pick them? I think they are Conference and I know in principle we should be able to eat them fresh too but I’ve never found the right time to eat them ripe. Any tips would be very much appreciated.
Hi Tess
I’d wait a bit longer if I were you. I live in Cambridgeshire too and our pears need a bit more time. They should come off easily when twisted.
Ours are the same as yours – hard Conference. They are perfect for bottling.
I think you are right — my husband tried twisting some today and only one came off easily. I read somewhere that apple pips turn from white to brown when the fruit is ripe so perhaps the same is true for pears?
Could you let me know when you start to pick?
I also wondered what you thought about the idea of adapting the Belgian pear recipe for apples? We have 4 eating apple trees and some of them don’t keep well into the winter (even with rigorous sorting for undamaged fruit). I’ve looked for bottled apples recipes online but they all look a bit anaemic.
Hi Tess
Of course I’ll let you know when I start picking our pears.
I’m not sure that this recipe would be good for apples as they would soften too quickly and you might just end up with a mush.
The recipe would work well with quinces (and Japonica quinces) though.
Have just made Belgian Pears using your recipe above but using only half the quantities. Unforunately there is not enough liquid to cover the pears, and how do you stop them going brown or is that the way they are meant to be,can you help!
Hi Trish
I don’t know what went wrong here. Were the pears covered in liquid when you took the lid off after 3 hours of gentle simmering? If they were the simmer was too strong for the last three hours. It should be just tiny bubbles bareley breaking the surface.
The whole process is very gentle.
If too much juice boiled off make the recipe again with double liquid and use some of the new liquid in the old pears.
I’ve never had a problem with this recipe and the pears end up dark brown.
I’ve made my second batch of these and bottled them. We ate the first batch when some friends came to stay for a weekend and they were phenomenal served with marscapone. The second lot had more liquid as I doubled the receipe so I have a jar plus some more in a tupperware container in the fridge. I am going to get some more pears and add this liquid to it. It’s also great on strawberries and marscapone with shortbread just simply poured over them. I can’t wait for the next batch – I haven’t tasted anything quite so delicious and yummy. Don’t throw away any extra liquid – some of my pears went brown, others pink so there is no knowing but they are simply the best ever.
I agree with Enid – now I’ve tried this recipe I think I’ll be making it every year forever!
My pears were tiny so only needed half the time simmering, coupled with the fact that my gas hob won’t simmer low enough which is why I ran out of juice this time, but now I know to use double the liquid it should counteract that next time I home.
I can’t wait to impress the mother in law with these – she’ll wonder how I’ve suddenly turned into such a domestic goddess!!;o)
Do you think these could be made in the slowcooker?
Hi Enid
I love these pears too. They taste sublime. Danny is already pestering me to make some more this year.
Thanks for the great ideas on how to serve them too!
Hi Trish
I agree with you. This is a perfect recipe to impress
You could try putting a diffuser under your saucepan.
Hi Wendy
I don’t see why not. I think that I might have a go at using the slow cooker too.
I am just in the final stages of making these pears – it’s so easy and they taste amazing! I too am no domestic goddess, but have a pear tree in the garden with lots of lovely fruit this year, and didn’t want it to go to waste. Like the person above, I found you via Google… what a find! Thanks so much for such lovely ideas and such clear advice.
I think the lowest simmer my hob could manage was a little too high so am going to look for a diffuser. Having said that, I do have lots of lovely liquid. I am down 2 pears already even though they have a few minutes left to go – couldn’t resist
And I am going to have to invest in a taller pan -I can’t seal some of the bigger jars I bought in any of my pans. Live and learn
This loooks lovely and I’m planning on making a batch for Christmas presents. You mention about making it in a slow cooker – this would be ideal as I could leave it on overnight – but I’m not really sure about timings – and would the quantities remain the same?
Hi Jo
They are so delicious, these pears. We make them every year.
A diffuser would be a good idea.
What a pity about your pan. One year I seled mine in a bain marie and they were fine.
Hi Kate
I haven’t actually made these pears in the slow cooker but I might give it a go this year.
So I have no idea how they would turn out. The timings would be the same. Lid on and lid off the same. And I’m sure that the ingredients would be the same. I’d like to be around while they are cooking just incase something goes wrong!
I have a huge amount of tiny pears and would like to try this, but because I have so many I’d like to simplify if possible. Do you think it would work to just heat them in the syrup and let the canning process and time after do what the simmering does? Would it be a very bad result?
Thank you!
Oh, as a follow on, this may sound silly, but have you ever tried a jar with unpeeled pears? My pears are pretty perfect but so tiny, and I wouldn’t mind if the peel came off by itself in the jar, just not sure if I should experiment.
Hi Natalia
You need the long simmering process to produce the delicious syrup from the vinegar and sugar. leaving the peel on the pears would spoil them, I think.
Perhaps a simpler recipe with a just a sugar syrup would be a better idea for you.
I peel my pears using an apple peeling machine.
Thank you! On the other hand maybe just simmering the syrup so long, without the pears and the attendent overcooking, then just heating the pears in it before canning would work.
But I still may do a simpler syrup with spices.
My peeler won’t do my pears. I must have a different type of pear. They are smooth when you eat them, not crunchy like an apple. I just canned pear chunks and slices yesterday. Only 7 quart jars due to constant interruptions from my family! 1 1/2 large boxes of pears and 8 boxes of apples await!
Hi Natalia
The pears need to be in the juice for so long to impart flavour and juice!
The end result is out of this world. A real dinner party dish.
Have spent most of the day making these pears, with trepidation at first, leading to jubilation when it all seemed to go to plan, and after 6 hours had a potful of lovely gooey unctuousness. However! I filled up a hot Le Parfait type jar with the loveliness, and it sizzled and bubbled up in a crazy fashion. I clipped the lid down and in a sudden moment of recklessness, decided to go off message and seal the jars in a medium oven instead of the jar boiling palaver. The oven was already at 150 degrees, so I popped the jar in and pottered off. Five minutes later, there was a suspicious burning sugar smell and I opened the oven door to find sizzling sticky syrup everywhere. Aggghhhh. Then I made the fatal error of unclipping the jar, spraying myself and the entire kitchen in boiling pear syrup. AAAGGGHHHHHH. No major damage done, although if there are any late wasps around, I shall soon have a swarm of them about my face/hair. So…
1) What colour should the syrup be when the pears are ready?
2) Does it matter if they froth up when you put them in a hot jar?
3) Is the last ‘sealing’ part necessary? Isn’t the heat of the fruit, syrup, jar enough to seal?
4) Using the boiling water method of sealing – won’t water get into the jar? Does the jar really have to be covered over with water?
5) Does anyone know how to remove burnt sugar from eyebrows?
Hi Kerry
What bad luck. Poor you.
The colour of the liquid should be dark brown. The pears should be put into hot sterilised jars (finger hot not red hot)
I seal them in a bain marie to be extra sure that they are properly sealed. If you are bottling them in the UK you can test your seals 24 hours later by unclipping the jars and holding them over the sink by their lids. The bain marie step is one of choice.
The boiling water method gives you extra security. The jars have to be sealed – the metal will expand to allow the air to escape. Yes the jars have to be covered with water.
If you finish them off in the oven – no pun intended sit the jars in a deep roasting pan lined with newspaper, keep the jars two inches apart and leave the lids just open.
When you remove the jars from the oven only handle them with thick oven gloves and then clip or tighten the seals. 150 is far to high (it should be 140 or 120 fan.
Burnt eyebrows sound painful.
I made a batch of these yesterday in the slow cooker but I’m not entirely sure they came out right! The syrup tastes lovely, but it’s very thin and light coloured, not really gooey at all. And there wasn’t enough to cover the pears, either at the beginning or at the end, which means that the pears that were in the syrup have stayed pear coloured while the ones on top have gone dark brown and a bit dry looking – which I’m sure isn’t right! I’ve tasted one and it’s nice, but has a bit of a grainy texture – again, is that how they’re supposed to be or should they be soft and smooth?
Any ideas as to what I could do to improve things? I’m not sure I’d want to give these out as gifts at the moment! I know that the simmer wasn’t too high because they were in the slow cooker – I wonder if it was too low?
Oh and when I peel the pears, should I remove the base – the ‘flower’ bit? Thanks!
Hi Kate
I have only cooked these on the stove and the vinegar and sugar miraculously seem to expand and cover the pears every time. Perhaps the slow cooker is the wrong place to cook them. Our SC simmers very rapidly, whereas the stove can simmer very slightly – which is best for this recipe.
The pears when cooked are soft and smooth like ultra upmarket tinned pears.
Leave the stem and the star when peeling.
Hi, i’m just about to spend the rest of my day preserving some pears. Can I steralise my jars with milton tablets. We make a lot of homebrew and sterilise the bottles this way.
Hi Sarah
Of course you can but don’t forget to heat the jars in the oven as the preserves need to go into hot jars to make a good seal.
Hi, i’m just doing my pears now, but i’m wondering how to get them in the jars? Next time I do this can I cut them into quarters? If I can, does the cooking time change?
Hi Sarah
If you have very small jars you could halve or quarter them at the end of cooking time. I use Le Parfait jars to bottle these. Whole pears look very deluxe when served as a dessert at a dinner party – and these are definitely dinner party/special occasion food.
Hi, I am trying to empty all my kitchen cupboards and I have cider vinegar in stock but not white wine vinegar. Has anyone tried making this recipe with cider vinegar? I would think that the flavour combination ought to work but I wouldn’t want to go to all that effort and end up with something that doesn’t taste as sublime as it should. Any thoughts?
OH! MY! WORD!!!
I cooked these yesterday and I have to confess that the wine vinegar smell was a bit odd … But we had them this evening and they are just FAB!!!
I think that I’d reduce the sugar a bit next time as I have Type 1 diabetes (I had to really get the insulin in after I’d eaten them) but, crikey, they were good.
Thank you
Hi Joanna
I haven’t tried making this with cider vinegar. If you are vrave enough to try going down the cider vinegar route, I’d love to hear how you get on.
Hi Greta
Yes they are unbelievably good. Thanks so much for leaving a comment.
I can only add to all the praise. Just made the first batch exactly according to instructions, and we ate a couple of pears that had got a bit soggy about an hour into stage 2. They were delicious! It is amazing how much liquid they produce during stage 1.
I can say it makes a lot less than you think it will when you look at 2 kg of pears. Mine were small ones, and they filled my big oval Le Creuset cocotte. But when they were done they fitted easily into 1 x 1-litre and 1 x 500 ml Le Parfait jars. I had got out 4 jars and thought they might not fit! Next time I think I’ll make sure I use the smaller size jars.
hi there i have just put my pears on the stove i havent read all above as yet but do i have to stir them by stir i mean move them gently or just leave them for the time alloted till they are ready
thanks
Hello May
I tend to just leave them – checking every now and then. When I halved the quanity in the recipe I didn’t get enough juice to submerge them so I carefully turned them half way through cooking to get an even colour.
oh thanks sweetheart that was quick , i keep looking in at them i,m great at burning things so i will keep checking
thanks again
Hi all, I’ve just spent all day doing the pear reciepe, not quite enough juice to cover but they seem ok, and what is that lovely perfume, much better than wet dog! I also used your plum chutney reciepe, we had 124 kilos of plums to do things with! I made some scrumptious apple chutney too adding a few extras. More pears tomorrow. Many thanks;
Hello Anne
I’ve just made some more too! Great that you tried our chutney recipes.
The belgian pears go really well with our apple and orange butter -
http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/the-slow-cooker-chef-apple-and-orange-butter-recipe-5133
[...] Fiona’s Belgian pears. I made a mental note to try these ages ago, prompted by the rave reviews on her blog. When I [...]
Hi Fiona
Just finished making the pears -Oh Boy- hard to believe no bozzzzz was used they are wonderful
Many many thanks for so much fantastic info.
Happy birthday wishes to you Mum
Mary
Hi Scots Mary
They are lovely served chilled with a little of the apple and orange butter.
Hello Fiona, I googled ‘Bottled Pears’ and came across your delicious sounding recipe as I have loads of nashi pears which are now in season down under :. I live in New Zealand so will let you know how I get on. Fingers crossed… Regards Cathryn
Hi,
I am writing from Daylesford, Victoria, Australia. We have a very full pear tree ready for harvesting and I found your recipe when I googled ‘preserving pears’. Just wanted to write and say thanks- my husband and I just finished some with vanilla ice cream, these pears are soooo delicious, we’re planning to cook and preserve all weekend long.
Thanks again!
I was given a box of pears last September. This recipe came up, and alll the wonderful comments made me think it was the one for me.
I didn’t read the recipe through properly……….6 HOURS SIMMERING!!!!! ( and somebody commented that it was quick & easy!)The result is VERY sweet–lovely, but you don’t need much per portion.I used 1xlitre jars.Unless you are feeding a large party you have an awful lot to get through once the jar is opened. In future I shall always use 500ml jars. I’m thinking of trying something a bit lighter next year.
Hi Toffeeapple
It was surprisingly good.
Hi Danast
I do like playing with recipes like this to tempt D to eat less meat.
Hi Cookie Girl
Yes I love the dish too and use it a lot. Somehow the potato just worked really well.
Hi Peter
Oh that sounds delish! Cant wait to try that out.
Hi Raenbow
Salami is a nice twist. Thanks.
Hello Cara
If you are in the mood for making white sauce it only takes a bit longer to make six pints than it does to make one.
[...] Bottled Fruit: Belgian Pears Recipe: This wonderful concoction just happens to be preserved in a jar. We tend to include this for dinner parties when we’re feeling under pressure. Many jars of this superb non-alcoholic scrumptiousness are patiently sitting in our barn, waiting to be opened and enjoyed. From The Cottage Smallholder. [...]
Help!
I have just made the pears, smell is amazing.
How do you have a pan deep enough to do the 1 litre jars?
they are taller than any of my pans!
Thanks
Hello Mammafairy
I would advise you to use much smaller jars as these are very rich indeed – unless you are feeding a large party! If you want to use bigger jars pour the hot pears and liquid into warm sterilised jars, clip the lids down (if Le Parfait type) or screw on the lids to finger tight and then give a half turn back (Kilner type) and then “poach” the jars in a bain marie. One of your saucepans, or a high sided roasting pan filled with 2″ of boiling water on the top of the stove. Simmer in the bain marie until you see the pears and liquid bubbling. Remove from the bain marie, tighten the Kilner jar lids and let them stand overnight. Test the seals the next day.
Hi again, Thank you for getting back so quickly!
I anticipate using the large jar at New Year, when we have a lot of folk around! If they last that long…
I have also been making your cucumber recipe, just done the second lot, using mini cucs, First time I have grown them and they started producing in May and show no sign of letting up.
not sure if the courgette chutney I have made wil come up to the standard of the recipes on your site though, we have had success with yellow courgettes again for the first time, and they are coming out of our ears…from 3 plants.
Thanks again
mammafairy
could you freeze the pears instead? I freeze them if I make them in red wine and that seems to work.thanks ,tom
Hi Tom
This recipe has so much sugar in it that when I tried to freeze some last year the juice remained slushy
Hello,I have followed the instructions but it was a late ordeal and I finished at 3;30 am.My concern is that because I filled only up to the line on the Le parfait jars part of one of the pairs is not covered by the syrup.I also had condensation on the underside of the lids.Is this normal?My last question is when you explain how to test the seal I am worried that I will break the seal by being too heavy handed.This is my very first attempt at using Le parfait jars.Oh what would you say about adding a couple of medium chillies in the process of the simmering to give a slight kick?kind regards Juliano
Hi Juliano
If there is a good air lock on the Le Parfait jar the pear not covered by the sugar should be fine, I think.
Testing the seals is easy and vital if you are storing the fruit. Just unclip the metal latch and then hold the lid of the jar over the sink. If there is a good seal the jar will not open. If it does open the you need to put the pears in the fridge and consume within five days.
Hi Fiona- just wanted to say THANK YOU for this recipe- have just made them again (third year running). They are simply stunning. As my pears are small I only do 2 hours with the lid off, then into the Fowler’s jars, and water bath for an hour. My only complaint this time is that the pears and liquid fit exactly into 3 jars, and I had no leftovers to scoff…….
Hi – this recipe looks fantastic… I live in Brittany and cannot find white wine vinegar – I get a blank look and get shown white vinegar. They have every other sort of vinegar and white wine vinegar with various herbs!! Very frustrating. I was wondering whether I could use cider vinegar? I saw Joanna – a few comments back – had asked the same question – but she never cam back to say how she had got on!! I have got the pears and the sugar… Belinda
Hi Belinda
I’ve used cider vinegar for this — it was fine. It’s strangely difficult to get white (as opposed to red) wine vinegar in france. I sdo sometimes see tarragon-infused wine vinegar in the supermarket and have been known to use that with the pears
The end result really doesn’t taste of vinegar anyway.
Hi Veronica,
Thanks for your reply – I had decided to go with the cider vinegar anyway and, as the weather here is pretty horrid, i cooked the pears today – and have just bottled them – sweet but tasty syrup – hope the pears taste as good!! I found tarragon infused white wine, rose wine and red wine plus all the balsamics. I find it really strange that plain white wine vinegar is unobtainable, but as it seems to have worked out ok, I won’t bother looking for it next time… thanks again…
Belinda
Hi.
Just wanted to say that I made the bottle pears the other day and they are lovely. I don’t have a big enough pan to seal my kilner jars but I don’t think they will hang around for to long anyway. I am going to be making more this weekend and will also be trying some of your chutney recipe’s. This is our first year of growing our own veg. We also have a huge cooking apple tree and a conference pear tree.
This is a great website!
Thanks
Michelle
xx