Recipe: Pickled Pears

Serves
11 (1/4 cup slices)

Per Serving
108 cal., 0 g pro., 0 g fat, 27 g carb., 1 g fiber, 145 mg sod.

Meal Pattern
1/4 cup fruit

1 1/2 lbs.                Seckel pears*

2 cups                    Apple cider vinegar

1 cup                     Water

1/2 cup                   Brown sugar

1/2 cup                   White sugar

1 tsp.                    Kosher or sea salt

1 tsp.                    Black peppercorn

1                         Cinnamon stick

1                         Bay leaf

1                         Star anise

6                         Whole cloves

1. Wash the pears and set aside. Make a bring in a non-reactive pan by combining the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved, then reduce the heat to low.
2. Prick a dozen holes in each pear, so their skins won’t crack or burst in the hot brine. Rotate the pear while quickly poking holes in the surface of the pear with a toothpick or skewer.
3. Add all of the pears to the hot bring at once. Bring the liquid back to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the pears seem soft when pierced with a tip of a knife.
4. Remove the pan of pickled pear from the heat and let them cool. Once cool, spoon the pears into a jar and pour the brine over them. Place a lid on the jar and refrigerate.

* Any type of USA Pears can be used in this recipe. If using a larger variety than Seckel, cube or slice the pears to fit in the brine and skip the step of poking holes in the skin.

Recipe and Photo: USA Pears, www.usapears.org

Nutritional and Meal Pattern Analyses: Rebecca J. Polson, CC, SNS, Instagram: @ChefRebeccaK12