This is the perfect season to eat and preserve pears, especially in the UK where we have so many tasty varieties. A friend gave me 2 large boxes of wonderful firm green pears from her garden. Some we ate, some we used for pear and lemon jam, and the rest we used for this great compote. I added ginger and a little lemon both for the taste and to help preserve it and the end result was a great success — 8 jars were gone in 2 days. You can also make this with apples using cinnamon instead of cloves and ginger. It makes a lovely gift and is also great for brunch served with yoghurt and granola.
Makes: 4 x 250ml jars
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
4-5 large green firm pears
100g sugar
40g ginger, peeled and finely diced
1 lemon, squeezed
2 cloves (optional)
4 x 250 ml. empty jars
METHOD
Peel and core the pears and dice into 2x2cm cubes.
Put the sugar and ginger in 2 litres of water and gently heat to dissolve before bringing to the boil and simmering uncovered for about 20 minutes.
Add the pears, lemon and cloves — if using. Simmer uncovered for a further 10 minutes until the pears are just soft and turn off the heat.
Carefully transfer the pears and cooking juice into the empty jars while still very hot.
Close and keep in a cool room or cupboard until ready to serve as a dessert, alone or with vanilla ice cream.