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Pear Jam is one of my favourites to make during Autumn when your pear tree is bursting at the seams and jamable fruits are few and far between. Sweet and fragrant with soft vanilla this jam makes the most of the delicate flavour of pear. Using this method for making your jam, the little pear pieces hold their shape and we also include little nuggets of cobnuts for added texture. If you can't get hold of cobnuts then hazelnuts work well too.
Jump to:
- Why you'll love this recipe
- What are the best pears to use for jam
- Ingredients needed
- How to make it
- How do you know if your jam has reached setting point?
- What is the ‘wrinkle test?’
- How to sterilise jars
- How long does the jam keep for?
- What can you eat with this spiced pear jam?
- More recipes you'll love
- Pear Jam with Cobnuts (or Hazelnuts)
If you have never tasted Homemade Pear Jam before then this recipe will be a revelation. The flavour is delicate but hums with the sweet taste of fresh pears, coupled with a little spicing, vanilla and a gentle nuttiness from the cobnuts.
Ripe pears have a tendency to go watery and mushy when cooked for pear preserves so in order to keep their structure in this easy jam recipe you need to macerate them for a couple of days in the sugar with some apples and lemons for pectin and a fragrant hit of vanilla bean and mixed spice. The crunch of cobnuts which are added at the end of cooking are such a surprise in a jam and well worth hunting down at your local farmers’ market. And if you are in the market for some delicious cobnut recipes then this jam is a great place to start.
This gentle amber coloured nectar tastes of wellies splashing in puddles, warm cosy evenings by the fire and nestling in front of a period drama on a Sunday Night.
Why you'll love this recipe
- This sweet pear preserve represents the best of the season with real pear flavour.
- Deliciously flavoured with warm spice and gentle vanilla flavour.
- Versatile as you can serve it with cheeses, cold cuts, as a cake filling, with scones or of course with hot buttered toast or crumpets.
- Beautiful jam which is great to give as a very special homemade gift.
What are the best pears to use for jam
Feel free to use your favourite pear variety from the grocery store or any pear tree you have in the garden.
Bartlett pears, Concord, Comice, Williams or Conference Pears all work well.
Ingredients needed
- Pears. The star of the show.
- Apples. For structure and natural pectin.
- Jam sugar. For added pectin.
- Lemons. For natural pectin and flavour.
- Vanilla bean. You can use extract but using the real bean is a real treat.
- Mixed spice. This classic spice combination gives a lovely backdrop of flavour.
- Cobnuts. You can substitute for hazelnuts or omit.
- Butter. We just need a tablespoon to aid in de-foaming our finished jam.
How to make it
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Macerate. Peel and core the apples and pears then dice into small pieces. Toss with sugar, lemon juice and zest, vanilla and mixed spice. Chill for 48 hours.
- Cobnuts. De-husk, shell and toast cobnuts for 10 in the oven and chop roughly.
- Make the jam. Place the fruit and sugar into a large pan and bring to a high heat. Boil for 30 minutes.
- Check for jam set. Use the wrinkle test (see below) to see if the jam has set. Remove from the heat as soon as it has reached setting point. Add butter to dispel the foam.
- Stir in the chopped cobnuts and decant into sterilised jars.
How do you know if your jam has reached setting point?
Jam has reached setting point when it’s 105°C/220F. However this is not my preferred test. I find the ‘wrinkle test’ gives a very accurate indication if jam is ready to be put in its pots.
What is the ‘wrinkle test?’
- The wrinkle test is when you quickly cool a teaspoon of the jam and push the jam with your finger. If it wrinkles up then it’s reached the right setting point.
- Place a few saucers in the freezer before you start making your jam.
- When you think your jam should be ready, it’s been boiling hard for at least 5 minutes, the sugar has completely dissolved and the jam is feeling a little heavier when you stir it, then you are ready for the test.
- Turn the heat off the jam. Remove a cold plate from the freezer and drop a small teaspoon of jam onto the saucer. The jam should not be too runny. Place the saucer into the fridge for about a minute.
- Remove the saucer from the fridge, at this point the jam should have set. Push the jam with your finger, if the jam wrinkles up then it’s ready.
- If it doesn’t then turn the heat back on and boil your jam for a further 2 minutes before you test again.
How to sterilise jars
To sterilise the jars place the very clean jars you would like to use in an oven pre-heated to 140°C / 120°C fan assisted oven for 20 minutes. Sterilise the lids by dropping them into a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes with a splash of vinegar. I don’t recommend sterilising lids in the oven as they tend to ruin.
How long does the jam keep for?
Unopened this Pear and Vanilla Jam will last for up to a year if stored in a cool dark place. Once opened keep in the fridge and the jam should last a month.
What can you eat with this spiced pear jam?
- You can't go wrong with hot buttered toast or crumpets.
- It's lovely served alongside your cheese board. Goats cheese goes particularly well.
- As a lovely nutty filling in your Victoria Sponge.
- Pear Jam with Cobnuts is divine topped over these Gluten-Free Apple Scones and these classic Gluten-Free Scones.
- And can you imagine drizzled over ice cream?
More recipes you'll love
If you love making your own jams then I urge you to give this Pear Jam with Cobnuts a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Pear Jam with Cobnuts (or Hazelnuts)
Ingredients
- 2 kg pears
- 500 g apples
- 1600 g jam sugar
- 2 lemons
- 1 vanilla bean
- ¾ teaspoon mixed spice
- 300 g cobnuts
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Peel and core the apples and pears then dice into small pieces.
- Place the fruit in a large dish and toss with the sugar, the juice of both lemons but the zest of only 1, the vanilla bean seeds, the pod of the vanilla bean and the mixed spice.
- Cover with clingfilm pressed to the surface of the fruit then refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.
- Meanwhile de-husk and shell the cobnuts and place in an oven pre-heated to 180°C for 10 minutes to toast. Leave to cool then chop roughly.
- Place the pears and apples into a large preserving pan and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 30 minutes and then test for set using the saucer wrinkle test*
- Once the jam has set then stir in the chopped cobnuts and butter to disperse all the foam on the top and cook for a further minute before removing from the heat and decanting into sterilised jars.*
Notes
- You can substitute the cobnuts for hazelnuts or omit completely.
- Yield 10 190ml jars.
- The jam will keep for up to a year if stored in a cool dark place.
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