Pear Conserve

Directions

1. 1
   Peel, halve and core your pears.
2. 2
   Dice the pears finely, but not as small as brunoise. I am not going to go into detail here, but one thing I must say is keep your peeled pears submerged in a bowl of water and lemon juice so that they do not oxidize (turn brown).
3. 3
   In a large, non-reactive (glass, plastic, ceramic) container, layer the sugar and the diced pears. Start with a thin layer of sugar on the bottom and end with sugar covering the top.
4. 4
   Drizzle the lemon juice over the top layer.
5. 5
   Close this container tightly and refrigerate overnight (for at least 18 and up to 24 hours).
6. 6
   Next day, pour out the pears and the syrup they have formed into a deep pot.
7. 7
   Scrape out the bottom layer of sugar into your pot as well.
8. 8
   Bring this mix to a boil over high heat, uncovered, stirring.
9. 9
   When the conserve is quite hot but not boiling, add the pear brandy. It should boil all at once. Stir well.
10. 10
    Boil the conserve to thicken it and expel alcohol. For true, syrupy conserve, do not overcook. Boil for a scant 3 - 5 minutes. The conserve is done.
11. 11
    The conserve can be waterbath canned. Properly prepared 6 - 8 oz glass containers should be processed for 10 minutes.