This Pear Brandy Jam with warming spices like cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger is a wonderful spread for the holiday season. And it can make an excellent gift, too!
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Hello, folks! I hope you are enjoying December (nearly mid-December, what?!) and the pre-holiday season. Isn’t it the pre-holiday time being the best part of the holiday? The holidays come and go (so fast), so let’s enjoy the anticipation.
And talking of the holiday preparation, this Pear Brandy Jam will make a wonderful gift.
Pear Brandy Jam
This Pear Brandy Jam is incredibly luscious. It has a complex flavour profile thanks to warming spices and brandy. A hefty amount of brandy indeed. It is sweet, warming, and fresh.
It is versatile, too. I used a combination of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, vanilla, and star anise seeds, but you can choose whatever spices or combination of spices you like. You can absolutely go with only one spice – think of ginger or cardamom. Don’t like or don’t want to use brandy? Triple sec, rum, and bourbon are all excellent options. Lastly, you can go even further by adding some clementine zest or a sprig of thyme. Either way, this jam will be lovely!
As you can see, I made it chunkier. But you can chop the pears finely or even process them with a blender, for a smooth and fine consistency.
More Jam Ideas
Fig Jam with Brandy (with dried figs)
Cointreau Orange Marmalade (with vanilla)
I hope you like this recipe, and you will give it a try. If you make it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share your photos by adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.
Cheers!
Pear Brandy Jam
Course: Dessert12-18
servings15
minutes1
hourThis Pear Brandy Jam with warming spices like cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger is a wonderful spread for the holiday season. And it can make an excellent gift, too!
Ingredients
2 lb. pears (about 900 gr. or 3-4 large pears), cored and roughly cubed – I used Bartlett
1/2 cup (100 gr.) granulated sugar *See note
1/4 cup (60 ml.) water
1/2 to 3/4 cup (120-180 ml.) brandy
1 tbsp. (15 ml.) lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
1/2 tsp. cardamom and ginger, each
a little pinch of star anise seeds
1/2 to 1 tbsp. classic pectin (optional)
Directions
- Place the pears, sugar, water, 1/3 cup (80 ml.) brandy, lemon juice, and spices (except vanilla) in a heavy pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. At this point, the pears start softening and will release more of the juices – and they will start to evaporate.
- Remove the lid and keep cooking for another 20 minutes or until the desired consistency and thickness. Depending on the size of the pear chunks, it may take longer. Keep an eye on the moisture – if the liquid has evaporated
- Increase the heat and add the vanilla and remaining brandy – you don’t need to add it all, depending on the desired consistency. Also, at this point, if you prefer a thicker version, add the pectin and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Please check the package instruction, but most commonly you will need to boil pectin for a few minutes.
- Off heat. Let the jam completely cool. Keep refrigerated in an air-tight container or jar. As it contains alcohol, it should be fine up to 3-4 weeks. But you can always use sterilized jars to increase the shelf life. Enjoy!
Notes
- This is not a typical amount of sugar. Normally, for this amount of pears, the sugar will be at least 1 – 1 and 1/2 cups (or even more). But we are not fans of overly sweet preserves, and this amount yields in quite sweet jam. Also, we keep all jams refrigerated and consumed within 2-3 weeks. Hence, if you are looking for a sweeter version – or planning to keep the jam fresh longer (sugar works as conservative, too), you may want to increase the amount of sugar.
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
Brandy and pears together is another favorite combination of ours. When we lived in Maine, we used to make Pear brandy every fall. I know we will both love this jam.
The combination of pears and brandy with cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger must be absolutely luscious, and I bet it would make a beautiful gift!
My husband said I shouldn’t make this and that we wouldn’t like it. That man ate this by the spoonful. It’s safe to say, we liked it alot.
Your pictures are so stunning and so Xmassy and perfectly embody the warmth we all need during that period! That jam is probably delicious :)
I love all of the baking spices you included in this recipe, Ben! I often associate pears with late fall and winter, so this really would be the perfect recipe for the holidays! I bet the flavor is out of sight!!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Bourbon Bread Pudding
Wish I had had this recipe when we were living at our farm in New Hampshire. We had about 20 pear trees, so your recipe would have been very useful.
A great way to use up those pears in the crisper! What a lovely texture on the jam!
Have never had pear jam…love the add of brandy!
angiesrecipes recently posted…Bethmännchen
I also prefer low sugar jams so that you can taste the fruit. I don’t think I’ve ever had pear jam.
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Mmmmm. I bet this is fabulous over yogurt!