Pear and Ginger Preserve – A Brown-Sugar 4-Ingredient Jam Recipe

A wonderful seasonal Brown-Sugared Pear and Ginger Preserve which is rich and fruity with warming nuggets of ginger. Perfect with sweet or savoury dishes and easy to make in your home kitchen.

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Introducing my 4 ingredient Pear and Ginger Preserve

I have been making my Brown-Sugared Pear and Ginger Preserve every year since I first created it back in 2015. It’s delicious, perfect for using up seasonal Autumn pears and is really simple to make. Even better, it only uses 4 ingredients, all of which are available in the supermarket. And no fancy equipment either! So, that’s no faff. Just a bit of time in the kitchen stirring up deliciousness.

If you’re wondering why on earth I got on to making a Pear and Ginger Preserve in the first place… try finding a jar in the shops. There aren’t many to be found… Anywhere! Whether looking for pear ‘jam’, ‘preserve’ or ‘chutney’… Nada… Unless you make it yourself. So, when I had a bit of a hankering and a bag full of windfalls, it seemed a natural thing to do…

And you know what? It works! The less-refined brown sugar brings wonderful caramel notes which complement the pear perfectly and offer a classy, less ‘excessively sweet’ taste. The ginger provides for a natural marriage… Little nibbles of warming, slightly chewy spice gently nudging against the sweet succulent Autumn fruit.

What 4 ingredients go into this Pear and Ginger Preserve?

This Pear and Ginger Preserve is literally a 4-ingredient recipe. Nothing else added. Combined to let nature do its thing… No need for jam sugar, extra water, pectin, vinegar or anything else that is commonly associated with making jam work. All it needs is

• Pears
• Soft light brown sugar
• Lemon juice
• Ginger (I used Crystallised Ginger, but read on for the options)

What are the best pears for making pear jam?

When I first created my Pear and Ginger Preserve, it was made several times to test various ratios of sugar to fruit… And also, to research the best type and ripeness of the pears used (based on what was available to me). It has therefore been tested with Conference, Comice and Concorde pear varieties. And all were good in flavour set against the ginger and brown sugar.

What made a huge difference however, was the ripeness of the pears used. When making Pear and Ginger Preserve, the pears need to be firm! This is not a jam for soft and over-ripe fruit. If the pears aren’t crisp (but still ripe), they will break down and the jam will become untextured and ‘pappy’. And ultimately, you want to achieve a jar which has a good chunky texture with discernible pieces of fruit. It’s just better that way.

So, my advice is this… I think most varieties of pear will work just fine when making this recipe… But be sure to use the fruit when still very firm and crisp to cut.

What type of ginger should I use?

The next question has to be what type of ginger should be used to make Pear and Ginger Preserve? And there are basically three options… Ginger root, preserved stem ginger in syrup or crystallised ginger. In reality, you can use any of these, but the recipe I share below uses the crystallised version, simply because I love the slightly chewy and less fibrous texture it gives. However, if you wish to substitute for either the raw root or stem ginger, do so as follows and add at the same time as stated for the crystallised ginger written into the recipe.

• Root Ginger – either grated or finely chopped. Use 35 to 40g.
• Stem Ginger in Syrup – use 2 to 3 balls depending on your preferred spice level.

Can I use ordinary white sugar to make Pear and Ginger Preserve?

Yes. Granulated sugar can also be used to make my Pear and Ginger Preserve. However, if you do use white sugar, the flavour and sweetness level of the jam will be altered. White sugar tends to feel sweeter and less ‘sophisticated’ for this particular preserve. Brown sugar brings depth and a less-harsh caramel sweetness to the jar.  

How long does this Pear and Ginger Preserve keep?

How long is a piece of string? Providing the jars used for storing the jam are completely clean and sterile, it will last at least a year and probably longer. It will also need to be stored in a cool, dark cupboard. I have happily eaten jam at over a year old that has been kept at the bottom of my larder.

But this also means that Pear and Ginger Preserve makes perfect Christmas food gifts, or birthday (and other) presents. I have often included a jar in Christmas hampers made for family and friends, alongside a nice sharp cheddar or local hard cheese.

Just be sure to use attractive presentation jars for presents, to make the jam that bit extra special. My favourites are these lovely hexagonal glass preserve jars.

Tips for making the best Pear and Ginger Preserve

So… As a quick summary and also to include the key tips and tricks for the best Pear and Ginger Preserve in one place, this is my advice:

• Make absolutely sure that your jars are 100% clean and sterilised (as outlined in the recipe).
• Use firm, crisp pears and chop them coarsely (not too tiny).
• Cut the ginger smaller than the pear (into small cubes), but still big enough to give texture and bite.
• Use fresh lemons rather than lemon juice from a bottle. It is pure and will avoid any unwanted preservatives.
• Only crush about half of the pears against the side of the pan when cooking and leave the rest of the chunks intact. This will give the best balance of pear throughout the jam and chunks in it.
• Use a good large Saucepan for making the jam.
• It is not necessary to use a cooking thermometer for the recipe as you can generally judge when it’s done by ‘feel’. However, if you want to use a thermometer, you are aiming to reach as close to ‘jam point’ as possible which is 220 F/105 C. But actually, the preserve doesn’t need to be ‘set’… Just thick and gloopy.
• Stir the jam frequently while it is boiling in the pan to prevent it sticking or burning.

How to eat Pear and Ginger Preserve

Perhaps the most important question is ‘how do you eat Pear and Ginger Preserve’? Is it jam? Chutney? For savoury or sweet stuff? And actually, it’s pretty versatile.

While it’s fundamentally a jam rather than a chutney, it is absolutely divine paired with a good strong cheese (not blue), whether soft or hard. And it also works deliciously served with Stuffed Cashew Nut Roast, next to Crispy Pizza, alongside sausage rolls and Potato Croquettes, or with Gluten Free Roti and a Keema Curry.  

From a sweet perspective, it’s also great mixed into yoghurt, and hot porridge (in addition to the usual jammy suspects of tarts and toast). Actually, the porridge is particularly good and incredibly addictive… A yummy winter treat!

Will you make my Brown-Sugared Pear and Ginger Preserve?

Hopefully, I’ve enticed you to give my Brown-Sugared Pear and Ginger Preserve a try. If you make it, let me know what you think and whether you’ve found any new ways to eat it. Leave a comment, or share on social media (have you followed me yet on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter?). And don’t forget to rate the recipe too… Plenty of 5 star ratings get it noticed on Google so more people find it. ⭐️😃😆😁⭐️

Thanks as always for visiting Gluten Free Alchemist… I hope you’ll visit again soon

Other jars of homemade yumminess on Gluten Free Alchemist we think you’ll love…

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4.60 from 5 votes

Brown-Sugared Pear and Ginger Preserve

A wonderful seasonal preserve which is rich and fruity, with warming nuggets of ginger. Perfect with sweet or savoury dishes and easy to make in your home kitchen.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Preserves

Cuisine: British

Keyword: ginger, jam, Pear, preserves

Servings: 2 standard jars (minimum) Per Jar

Calories per serving: 663.9kcal

Author: Gluten Free Alchemist – Kate Dowse

Key equipment

• oven to sterilise the jars
• preserve jars
• Kitchen scales
• sharp knife
• hob
• large heavy-based saucepan
• wooden/silicone spoon
• cooking thermometer (optional)

Ingredients 

0.33x0.5x0.66x1x1.5x2x

MetricUS Customary

• 1.5 Kilo firm pears untrimmed weight – peeled & cored (eg Comice, Concorde, Conference pear varieties)
• 280 g soft light brown sugar
• 100 ml fresh lemon juice (approx 2 large lemons)
• 75 g crystallised ginger cut into small cubes

Instructions

Sterilise the jars while making the preserve

• Wash the jars with warm soapy water.
• Place both the jars and lids separately on a cold baking tray (but not rubber seals)
• Place the tray in a cold oven and turn the oven on to 140 C/275 F/Gas 1.
• When the oven has reached temperature, leave the jars to sterilise for a further 20+ minutes.
• Turn the oven off and leave the jars inside until ready to fill with jam. Then take from the oven and fill straight away.

Pear and Ginger Preserve

• Coarsely chop your peeled pears into chunks and place in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice.
• Set the pan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring continually until the sugar has dissolved.
• Simmer, stirring frequently until the pears start to soften.
• Gently crush about half of the pears with the back of a fork or spoon against the side of the pan, and leave the rest in chunks.
• Add the ginger and continue to simmer until the mixture thickens and becomes syrupy (the bubbles will also become larger and more ‘gloopy’).
• You may wish to use a food thermometer and take the temperature to somewhere near jam point (220°F/ 105°C). However, it's fine to just continue to boil until the jam has reduced and become sticky (about 30 to 45 minutes). Stir frequently to prevent burning or sticking.
• When your preserve has reached jam point or you are happy with the consistency, ladle into the sterilised jars and seal with the lids straight away.
• Leave to cool and store in a dark, cool cupboard.

Notes

* Note: nutritional information is an estimate & may vary according to portion size/ingredient variants.

To alternatively use either ginger root or stem ginger, add the following substituted amounts in place of the crystallised ginger.

• Root Ginger – either grated or finely chopped. Use 35 to 40g.
• Stem Ginger in Syrup – use 2 to 3 balls depending on your preferred spice level.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 663.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 170.4g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 45.4mg | Potassium: 238.6mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 165.6g | Vitamin A: 3.2IU | Vitamin C: 19.4mg | Calcium: 119.3mg | Iron: 1mg

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© 2019-2023 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist

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