Rich, velvety, slightly tart and naturally sweet, this isn't your average pear syrup recipe. It's a natural sweetener with no added sugar you can make with nothing more than pear juice, heat, and time. The finished pear caramel/molasses is great for canning, keeps for years and makes a great addition to savory or sweet dishes.
If you remember my post on apple molasses / cider syrup (an old preserve of apple juice still made in the United States) this is the same thing just made with pears. It shouldn't be confused with prickly pear syrup which is made from cactus fruit called tunas, or pear honey, which is an extremely sugary preserve / pear jam.
What Is Pear Syrup or Pear Caramel ?
Humans discovered long ago than many fruit juices can be reduced to concentrate their natural sugars. The best example being the Turkish tradition family of Pekmez or Petimezi which can refer to syrups made from everything from mulberries to figs and grapes. Besides Turkey, Germany and China also have traditions of reducing pear juice to a shelf-stable syrup.
In America the only reference I can find is for the use of reduced pear juice from scraps to make livestock feed more palatable with pigs, cattle and sheep. I found the 1951 article below from the Journal of California Agriculture interesting.
How to Make Pear Syrup
While most recipes for pear syrup use whole pears and white sugar all you actually need is pear juice, which you can buy in a store or online. You can also use the juice from pressing fresh pears in a cider press or a juicer.
It's easy to make and takes about an hour. First, pour the pear juice into a wide 10 inch pan with high sides. You can also use a slow cooker but it will take much longer. I add a spice bouquet with a cinnamon stick, half a vanilla bean, and a few allspice or spicebush berries, which is optional.
Bring the syrup to a rolling boil and cook until it's reduced by half. Remove the spice bouquet and discard, then continue cooking until the mixture gets thick.
Spiced Pear Simple Syrup
At the point when about 2 cups remains you'll have a light, spiced pear simple syrup if you take it off the heat. A lighter syrup will retain the aromas of the spices better than the molasses and is nice in drinks, but is looser than syrup reduced to the caramel or molasses stage.
Pear Caramel / Molasses
To make the molasses, you continue cooking the syrup until the color turns a rich mahogany brown and you can see the bottom of the pan when a spoon is drawn through it.
Finally, pour the finished pear caramel into a jar. It can be stored on the counter like honey or canned in a water bath for long term storage.
How To Use It
Just like apple molasses, the thick, almost spreadable syrup is great on desserts, but the subtle tartness also makes it versatile enough to serve with savory dishes like pork and chicken as a sort of sweet and sour sauce.
Here's a few suggestions, if you have any others to add feel free to leave a comment.
- It can be used as a substitute for maple syrup in baking, drizzled in pie fillings, crisps and other desserts. I also used it to sweeten the granola pictured in this post.
- Try drizzling the syrup over a plate of roasted root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, rutabagas or sweet potatoes.
- Instead of adding sugar, it would also be a great sweetener to add to homemade pear butter.
- Historically one of the most common uses of the syrup was probably just adding it to hot water to reconstitute it in the off-season. Like my spruce and pine cone syrup, I've also read accounts of it being used to make mead.
One of the most delicious way's I've used it is drizzled over roasted pears and vanilla ice cream.
Mostly I use it as an all-purpose substitute for honey or maple syrup. A simple way to enjoy it is for breakfast with, fruit, granola and yogurt.
Related Posts
Pearamel: All Natural Pear Syrup Caramel / Molasses
Equipment
- 1 wide 10 inch pan with high sides
- 1 8 oz mason jar with lid
- 1 Bundle of cheesecloth optional
Ingredients
- ½ Gallon Pear juice not from concentrate
Spice Bouquet (optional)
- 1 small Cinnamon stick
- 5 each Allspice berries
- ½ each Vanilla bean
Instructions
- Pour the pear juice into the pan and bring to a rapid boil.
- It's ok to walk away and do other things, but you'll want to set a timer to check on the syrup every 15 minutes.
Light spiced pear syrup
- When about 2-1.5 cups remains, strain the syrup to remove and impurities, then pour into a mason jar with a tight fitting lid. Process in a water bath or store in the fridge for up toi 6 months.
Full-bodied pear molasses
- Continue reducing the liquid until it's a dark color and you can see the pan through the syrup when a spoon is dragged through it. There should be exactly one cup remaining.
- The syrup is extremely stable and can be stored on the counter like honey.
- For long term storage, pour the syrup into a jar and process in a water bath canner for long term storage. 8 minutes for an 8oz jar.
Robert Holton
Made this over the weekend, after having previously followed your guide on the apple molasses. I found the pear molasses holds it's tartness in an interesting way, more depth than the apple molasses to my taste. We had it as an accompaniment to some aged Wisconsin cheddars and everyone raved. We have added a swirl of apple molasses to a thick butternut squash soup with spiced pepitas in the past. I'm eager to try the pear molasses in the same way.
Alan Bergo
Hey thanks Robert that’s great. Now I need to use some with cheese.
nancy elder
loving these fruit molassi. fyi: prickly pear fruit in spanish = tuna
Alan Bergo
Thanks for the reminder Nancy, I changed that.
LaRae
Liquid velvet! Delicious!
sylvie
i have never made pear syrup, mostly because - unlike apple cider - it's not that common to find in my area. But i expect it can be used similarly. Some of the way i used apple cider molasses are 1. salad dressing; 2. glaze for roasted veggies, not just roots, but also leaf brassicas especially those w a bitter edge, like Brussels sprouts, or whole wedges of roasted (or grilled) cabbage; 3. apple cider molasses ice-cream (not just a drizzle on ice cream, but the molasses is both the sweetener and the big flavor of the icecream).
Also in a jiffy, and for small quantities of juice, one can puree the pears in a vitamix and strain the puree to remove most of the pulp. Laborious for sure, but not everyone has or want a juicer.
Alan Bergo
Thanks Sylvie. I forgot about salad dressings.