1 September 2014
This is my slightly adapted version of the recipe by Swedish cook Sanna Töringe (she uses dried ginger which she removes before bottling, I use fresh and leave it in) based on her mother’s recipe for Ginger Pears, which she says she grew up eating – wow – what a childhood treat – they are truly delicious!
Prep. Time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 3 – 4 hours
Makes: about 3 x 1 litre preserving jars
Pears, firm, even slightly unripe 21/2 kg
Sugar 2 kg
Fresh ginger piece about 6 cm long, peeled and finely diced
Water 500 ml
- Dissolve the sugar in the water in a large saucepan over a low heat.
2. Peel the pears but leave the stems on.
3. Add the finely chopped ginger to the sugar water.
4. Carefully place the pears in the saucepan, ensuring that they are all in reach of the syrup.
5. Cover and leave to simmer/infuse over the lowest heat setting for 3-4 hours. The heat needs to be really low – barely simmering – if your lowest setting is still too hot, place a metal (not plastic coated) cake rack over the hot plate and place the saucepan on top of that to ensure that you only have the occasional bubble bubbling up.
6. At the end of the cooking time the pears and the syrup have turned a deep golden colour and are DELICIOUS!!
7. Bottle in sterilised jars, seal and store in a cool, dark place where they will keep well into the winter months and are best served with whipped cream…
8. You will probably have some of the syrup left over – perfect for waffles or yoghurt now!
Taken from Blommor, glögg och festlig mat Winterliche Genüsse aus Schweden, by Sanna Töringe, photos by Helene Toresdotter, published in the German version by Lifestyle BusseSeewald © 2011
