Not a single winter preparation of garden plot owners is complete without making jam from apples and pears. Possessing a delicate, pleasant taste and rich aroma, this fruit dessert reveals itself perfectly in baked goods, which does not interfere with its use as an independent dish. There are many recipes, but almost all of them have some peculiarities.
The subtleties of making apple and pear jam for the winter
In general, the recipe is not difficult even for those who have not been involved in canning food before. It is enough to know a number of rules:
- Apples and pears of autumn varieties, fully ripe and without severe damage, are suitable for harvesting;
- if the fruit is sour, increasing the amount of sugar will help correct the situation;
- the introduction of additional gelling agents (agar-agar, pectin, etc.) is impractical; these components are already contained in apples;
- To add thickness, it is better to replace the water in the recipe with a decoction of apple scraps.
Apple and pear jam goes perfectly with cinnamon. There are many recipes where other spices are added: vanillin, citrus zest, nutmeg, cardamom and even poppy seeds.
Preparation of products and containers
The most time-consuming step in making jam is preparing the apples and pears. First, they are washed from contamination, after which they begin cleaning.
Damaged areas are cut off and disposed of. The remaining part of the fruit is peeled and the hard core is cut out.
All that remains is to cut the pulp into pieces of the same size. Pear trimmings can be thrown away, and apple trimmings can be used as a gelling component (as you know, most pectin is concentrated in the peel).
It is better to pour the finished jam into glass jars with airtight lids. You will first need to sterilize them over steam, in an oven or microwave. This will remove most of the microbes from the container that cause food spoilage.
How to properly prepare pear and apple jam?
Over many years of cooking experience, housewives have accumulated a huge amount of recipes in their piggy banks. Some introduce additional aromatic additives, others offer simplified options using modern household appliances (multi-cookers). But the classics remain unchanged - apples, pears and sugar.
Simple recipe
Unlike most fruit and berry preparations, the recipe uses significantly less sugar. This does not affect the preservation of the jam due to the high concentration of pectin, which serves as an additional natural preservative.
Ingredients:
- apples (ideally Antonovka or Sinap) – 2 kilograms;
- pears – 1.5 kilograms;
- granulated sugar – 2 kilograms.
Cooking technique:
- Cut the peeled fruits into pieces, trying to make them approximately the same size. This way they will cook evenly, and the finished jam will not contain raw lumps that even a blender cannot save from.
- Mix apples with pears and add sugar.
- Place the bowl with the fruit mixture on low heat. The mixture needs to be stirred periodically, otherwise the food will quickly burn. If the fruit slices do not soften for a long time, you can add a little water or apple broth.
- Cooking the jam takes about 60 minutes (may take more than an hour if the fruit is hard or unripe).
- To obtain a homogeneous structure, the mass is pureed with a blender. This step can be omitted if you prefer the presence of pieces in the dessert.
If the jam has been crushed, it needs to be boiled again before rolling. The final touch is pouring into sterile jars.
Option with oranges
A pleasant orange note will add an interesting twist and dilute the sweetness of the jam. In addition, the acid present in citrus fruits serves as an additional preservative that protects the product from spoilage.
Ingredients:
- peeled apples and pears – 1 kilogram each;
- sugar – 300 grams;
- oranges – 400 grams;
- citric acid – 4 grams.
Cooking technique:
- Cut the fruit into small slices, place in a deep saucepan and add a couple of tablespoons of water.
- Heat over medium heat until it begins to boil, then reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the zest from the oranges, being careful not to pick up the bitter white part. Remove hard walls and seeds from the pulp, then puree with a blender.
- Pour the orange pulp into the softened apples and pears. Puree the mixture and add the remaining ingredients.
- Warm up for 20-30 minutes. During this time the jam will become thicker.
While the jam has not cooled down, it is poured into sterile containers, rolled up and put away for permanent storage.
How long and how to store apple-pear confiture?
If you follow the preparation technology and use sterilized containers, the jam can be stored throughout the cold season. The preparation will last much longer, but after a year it will lose most of its aromas and taste.
You need to pour the mixture to the top, trying to minimize the air cushion. The smaller it is, the greater the chance of preserving the product.
The workpiece is protected from direct sunlight in a cool place. But putting jars in the refrigerator is prohibited. In this case, the jam will crystallize and become unsuitable for consumption. Only re-cooking will correct the situation.
Apple and pear jam is a good way to preserve fruit for the winter. The cooking technology is simple and accessible, and there are many options for using the dessert. That is why recipes do not lose popularity from year to year.
