Pears Exotica

Yahoo Group Files For a simply delicious dessert, spoon the pears warm over vanilla ice cream.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Yields: 4 pints

Ingredients

• 6  lbs pears
• 1  lemon
• 1 1⁄4 cups granulated sugar
• 4  cups water
• 1⁄2 cup vinegar
• 4  bay leaves
• 12  pink peppercorns
• 12  green peppercorns

Directions

1. Prepare jars, lids and bands.
2. Peel, halve and core pears. Place in a color protection solution made of 4 Tbsp Fruit Fresh dissolved in 8 cups water, if desired. Set aside.
3. With vegetable peeler remove the zest from lemons in a continuous spiral; cut into 4 pieces. Squeeze lemon juice.
4. In a large stainless steel saucepan combine sugar, water, vinegar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Drain pears and add to syrup; cook mixture until liquid returns to a boil and pears are heated through.
6. Place 1 strip lemon peel, 1 bay leaf, 3 pink and 3 green peppercorns in a hot jar.
7. Pack hot pears snugly into prepared jars leaving a 3/4 inch headspace.
8. Pour 1/4 cup of brandy over pears. Add hot syrup to cover pears leaving a 1/2 inch headspace.
9. Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if equired, by adding more pears, spices and hot syrup.
10. Process filled jars for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. Adjust time according to your altitude.