It’s apple and pear season and this Spiced Asian Pear Butter is just the recipe to make for preserving this delicious fall fruit. When we moved to our home in Napa, I was delighted to discover a variety of fruit trees, including an Asian Pear tree. The tree was brimming with very ripe Asian pears that I knew we needed to preserve their beauty this harvest season.
Scroll down to see how these differ from the European varieties and get the recipe card to make this Spiced Asian Pear Butter for the morning’s yogurt bowls or oats.
What’s the Difference Between Asian Pear and Other Pear Varieties?
The main distinctive differences between Asian pears and European pears (the kind most commonly referred to simply as “pears”) are in their taste, texture, and appearance.
Asian pear is the umbrella name for the many varieties of this fruit that are grown in the continent. This can include parts of China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, or even India. A variety typically seen in U.S. grocery stores is the Nijisseiki variety grown in the 20th century. What is helpful to know: these pears are allowed to ripen on the tree before getting picked. Asian pears are ready for picking as early as late August though the fall months are when they generally reach their peak. Their harvest season can last until early winter.
Appearance
- Asian Pear: These have a round shape and squat, resembling an apple-like shape. Countering the traditional pear shape, it’s smooth skin if often golden-brown, green, or yellow. It can have a slightly rough outer texture as it ripens.
- European Pear: These varieties like Anjou pears or Comice pears tend to be a little more teardrop-shaped. They have a broader base that narrows at the top. The skin can range from green to yellow to red. The skin and often has a more matte texture than the shiny skin of an Asian pear.
Texture
- Asian Pears: With juicy flesh and a crunchy texture they resemble more like an apple than a traditional pear. These Asian Pear varieties remain firm even when fully ripe. What’s more these varieties of pears will hold there texture and shape when cooked.
- European Counterparts: Pears like Bosc pears or Bartlett pears hold that quintessential pear shape. They tend to have high water content making them a great option for sauces, butters, or purees. They’re tender texture also lend themselves well to baking.
Taste
- Asian Pears: The fruit becomes fragrant when ripe. This is a sign to notice when buying these gorgeous apple pears. The texture you get when biting into one is reminiscent of a crunchy apple. Mildly sweet and very refreshing, the pale flesh of these fruits elicit floral, citrus notes.
- Other Pear Varieties: Most have that often recognizable pear-like taste. As one of the most popular fruit types, they have their own nuanced sweet taste making them perfect with desserts with that definitive sweet pear flavor.
Ingredients We Need for This Spiced Asian Pear Butter
The ingredient list to make this delicious Spiced Asian Pear Butter is below:
- Diced Asian Pears: We’re not too worried about peeling these so we will cook them with skin on. We’ll purée the pears once they’re fork tender.
- Brown sugar: Our sweetener here that helps bring about a caramel flavor to the pears. You can also use maple sugar here too.
- Warming spices: Ground cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, all-spice, and clove help to create a warmth in our spiced fruit butter that signals all signs of fall.
- Lemon Juice: Since pears tend to be less acidic than other fruits, the lemon juice will help in creating a bit of pectin here for preserving. It will also bring out the citrus notes of this pear variety.
- Fresh thyme: I love adding in fresh herbs to fruit preserves whenever I can and the thyme here compliment the lemon and citrus notes of the pear beautifully. Remember to discard the spring stem at the end of the cook time before puréeing the pears.
How to Make This Spiced Asian Pear Butter
Making this Spiced Asian Pear Butter recipe requires a two-part cooking process but the results are delicious. Here’s how we make it:
- Wash the pears and dry thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel. Remove any stems. Slice into quarters and remove the inner core. Dice pears into 1/2 inch chunks.
- Add diced pears to a 4-quart dutch oven. Add sugar and spices to the pot and bring to a low simmer. The sugar will melt to dissolve into the pears. The pears will release their juices. Simmer until pears are fork tender, about 10 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the pears to purée until smooth. Alternatively, you can scoop pears into the base of a food processor or blender and blend to purée until smooth.
- Place pear purée back into the dutch oven and cook over medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the purée has reduced by about half and does not look watery. The pear butter will darken in color to a rich caramel color. If the pear butter sits up high within the bowl of a wooden spoon, it’s ready. Remove the thyme sprig stem and remove pot from heat to cool slightly before storing.
- To store, funnel the spiced pear butter into 3 half-pint mason jars. Screw lids on tight. These will store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. For longer storage, freeze for up to a year.
Storing Your Spiced Asian Pear Butter & FAQ
When ready to store, funnel your pear butter into 8 ounce mason jars fitted with tight lids. You can store a jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze them for up to a year.
My favorite ways to enjoy this is with plain Greek yogurt. Add dollops to the bowl with yogurt and a swirl of maple syrup if you like. Top with pomegranate seeds and your favorite granola for a delicious Fall breakfast.
Yes! I’ve made this recipe using Bosc and Bartlett pear varieties too.
Enjoy this fall version of my favorite fruit butter varieties. If you like this Asian Pear recipe, let me know in the comments. When Spring and Summer roll back around, check out this one for a Blueberry Butter that is also a delight.
Spiced Asian Pear Butter
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups diced pears
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
Instructions
- Wash the pears and dry thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel. Remove any stems. Slice into quarters and remove the inner core. Dice pears into 1/2 inch chunks.
- Add diced pears to a 4-quart dutch oven. Add sugar and spices to the pot and bring to a low simmer. The sugar will melt to dissolve into the pears. The pears will release their juices. Simmer until pears are fork tender, about 10 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the pears to purée until smooth. Alternatively, you can scoop pears into the base of a food processor or blender and blend to purée until smooth.
- Place pear purée back into the dutch oven and cook over medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the purée has reduced by about half and does not look watery. The pear butter will darken in color to a rich caramel color. If the pear butter sits up high within the bowl of a wooden spoon, it’s ready. Remove the thyme sprig stem and remove pot from heat to cool slightly before storing.
- To store, funnel the spiced pear butter into 3 half-pint mason jars. Screw lids on tight. These will store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. For longer storage, freeze for up to a year.
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