Dylan's Spiced Pear Jam

Bolstered by his Pickled Green Tomato Adventure, Dylan plunged head-long into creating his very own pear jam. I reminded him of our Pear-Vanilla Bean Jam, our Pear-Rhubarb-Rosemary Conserve, and told him we could do a version of our Apple Butter...with pears. But, in true foodie fashion, the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf decided to do his own thing. Actually, he wanted to do a Pear-Curry Jam. I steered him away from that for the night. Maybe when a smaller batch is at stake! Here's what he made...

10 pears (liberated - with permission, I hope! - from the neighbor's yard)
2 C organic granulated sugar
1 C water
juice from 1 lime
1 T ginger syrup
1 star anise
1 green cardamom pod, crushed
dash of ground cloves
dash of ground cardamom
2 dashes of ground nutmeg
2 dashes of ground cinnamon
1 t pure vanilla extract

Place all of the ingredients - except the juice from the lime and the ginger syrup - in a large flat-bottom pan. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pears are tender, approximately 15 minutes. Mash the fruit with a potato masher as the pears soften. Keep simmering until the liquid has thickened to the point where a path remains if you drag a spoon through the center. Remove the cardamom pod and the star anise.

Place the jam in sterilized jars, leaving about a 1/2" gap to the top. Gently tap the bottom of each jar on the counter to release any air bubbles. Using a damp clean towel, wipe the rims of the jars and secure the lids and rings. Process in a water bath for 10-15 minutes. Remove the containers with tongs and let cool on the counter overnight.

I was intrigued by a Pear-Chocolate Jam recipe by Food in Jars on Punk Domestics. Maybe next time...