Spiced Pears

1-  Fill boiling water canner two-thirds full of hot water; bring to boil. Place five 2-cup (500 mL) canning jars in canner rack; turn off heat and let stand until ready to fill. Five minutes before filling jars, place lids in small saucepan; pour boiling water over top and let stand until sealing compound is softened.

2-  Meanwhile, break cinnamon sticks into thirds; place in centre of 6-inch (15 cm) square double-thickness cheesecloth. Add cloves and ginger; bring up edges and tie with cotton string. Place in Dutch oven. Add sugar, 2 cups (500 mL) water and vinegar; bring to boil and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside.

3-  In large bowl, combine lemon juice with 6 cups (1.5 L) water. Peel and halve pears; with melon baller or teaspoon, scoop out cores, adding pears to lemon water in bowl as you work.

4-  Drain pears and add to Dutch oven; bring to boil. Cover with round of parchment paper; reduce heat and simmer until pears are slightly translucent and barely tender, about 5 minutes. Discard spice bag.

5-  Using slotted spoon and funnel, divide pears evenly among prepared jars. Pour in syrup, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) headspace. Slide slim spatula between jar and pears to press out any air bubbles. Add more syrup if necessary to maintain headspace. Wipe rims if necessary with damp paper towel. Centre lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight.

6-  Place jars on rack in canner; lower into water. If necessary, add boiling water to cover by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm). Cover and return to boil; boil for 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Let boiling stop before lifting rack. With canning tongs, transfer jars to cooling rack; let cool for 24 hours. Label and store in cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year.

Additional information : lt;stronggt;Variationlt;/stronggt;lt;br /gt; lt;stronggt;Riesling Pears:lt;/stronggt; Omit cloves, gingerroot and vinegar. Bring 3 cups (750 mL) Riesling wine or white grape juice; 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) each granulated sugar and water; lt;br /gt; 1 strip each lemon and orange rind; and 1 stick cinnamon to boil; boil for 5 minutes. Discard lemon and orange rinds and cinnamon. If desired, add 1 tbsp (15 mL) brandy to each jar before filling with pears.lt;br /gt;

Source : Canadian Living Magazine: September 2003