Vanilla Pear Freezer Jam
This is pear season. At our house, two pear trees provide us with more pears than we can eat. We give some away, and I make pies, jams, chutney and even pear butter. I found this recipe last year (online, I believe, but I'm not sure) and love the simplicity of the recipe and short amount of time needed to make it. Plus, the taste is out of this world!!

Yield: 44 servings (serving size 2 Tbs)

4 cups coarsely chopped, seeded and peeled pears (about 5 large pears)
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 (1.75 ounce, or smaller if that's what you find in the store) pectin crystals for freezer jam
4 cups sugar

Place pears in food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Pour into a heavy saucepan. Add grated lemon rind and juice and split vanilla bean. Stir in pectin. Place the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Stir in sugar and cook for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil; cook for one minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Skim of foam and remove vanilla bean. Scrape seeds from bean into pear mixture. Discard rest of bean. Stir for 5 minutes to ensure fruit is suspended in jam. Cover and chill overnight. Pour into freezer jam containers and freeze. The recipe says the jam keeps in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Try up to 3 months! It says freeze up to 6 months, but we're using the last of a jar I made and froze a year ago.

October 2009