Pear Chutney

Pear Chutney From Preserve It!

Printable Recipe

Hands on time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 2 hours

Sterilizing the jars: boiling the water plus 5 minutes of rapid boiling to sterilize or use the hot cycle in the dishwasher (Ruth’s note: See basic jam making tutorial.

Boiling water bath: 10 minutes

Resting time: the book says to let the flavors mature for at least a month. I used the first jar after 3 weeks and it was awesome.

Makes: 4 (250ml/8oz) jars

Ingredients:1¾ lb/800g pears, peeled, cored & cut into ¾” cubes
¾ lb/350g onions, chopped
¾ lb/350g green or red tomatoes, sliced
¼ lb/250g raisins, chopped
3 peppercorns, crushed
1 ¾ cups demerara sugar
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups cider vinegar

Directions:1. Add all the ingredients to a preserving pan or large heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan (I use my Dutch oven). Bring slowly to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

2. Reduce the heat and simmer, gently, uncovered, for about 2 hours or until the mixture thickens and takes on a dark caramel color, and a wooden spoon drawn across the bottom of the pan leaves a trail. Stir frequently toward the end of the cooking time so the chutney doesn’t burn.

3. Ladle into sterilized mason jars leaving ¼”/5mm headspace and making sure there are no air gaps. Lightly cover with lid. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, then cool for 24 hours and check the seal on the inner cover. It should be flat (no bounce room in the center of it) and stay sealed when you gently try to push up the lid at the edge. Tighten the outer ring.

4. Label the jars and store in a cool dark place and refrigerate after opening.
Allow the flavours to mature for at least a month before using.