Pear Blackberry Pepper Jam

Hello!

Well…I’m at it again. I can’t seem to stop making jam.

It’s become an obsession of mine at the moment. It’s so darn tasty and it makes for a great gift. I’m thinking of giving jars away as Christmas gifts this year with some brie, crackers, and my homemade apple pie moonshine. I mean, if it were me, and someone gave me something like this as a gift, I’d be over the moon.

Anytime I have extra fruit in the house, I make jam just before it gets to the point where I might have to compost it. Oh yeah! I compost now! Woo! And I LOVE it.

This jam is perfect for an appetizer. The best way to serve this is to get an 8oz block of cream cheese and dump either a half or whole jar of the jam on top. Then take a cracker and simply scoop a helping of both the cream cheese and jam in one flavor-bursting bite.

You can also get a block of brie, put it in a brie baking dish, and spoon some of the jam over the top. Then warm it in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the brie is nice and melty. Then remove from the oven and allow it to slightly cool before cutting into it and spreading over crackers. Please make sure to let it cool. I burned my mouth the one time when I got overly excited about trying this dish.

This makes for a great appetizer for the holidays. I like to put this out for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I highly recommend it. Your guests will go bananas.

This recipe is very easy to make, and can be refrigerated for quite a while, but with something as delicious as this, it won’t last very long before being eaten.

The peppers do give the jam a good deal of heat, however the sugar used in the jam, along with the cream cheese or brie, really does cut the heat down quite a bit, so it isn’t too intense for those who aren’t huge fans of spicy foods.

Anyway, I hope you decide to make this. You will love it!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5 pears, peeled and chopped.
Approximately 25 blackberries, rinsed and roughly chopped.
6 small peppers such as jalapeño, habaneros, or Havasu, minced.
5 1/2 cups of white sugar.
4 tbsp of lime juice.
3 tsp. citric acid.
3 tbsp of powder pectin or 1 pouch of liquid pectin.
3 tbsp of water.

Directions:

First prep the peppers, blackberries, and pears. *Make sure to wear rubber gloves when handling the peppers!*
Place pears in a medium sized bowl.
Mix 3 tsp. citric acid with 3 tbsp of water and add to the bowl of chopped pears.
In a large stock pot, add the pears, 4 tbsp of lime juice, and 3 tbsp of powder pectin (or 1 pouch of liquid pectin).
Heat on medium until the pears boil.
Once the pears boil, add the blackberries.
Add 5 1/2 cups of sugar to the pot and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Add the peppers to the pot.
Cook until the jam begins to thicken and the sugar is fully dissolved, approximately 5-7 minutes. To check the consistency, dab a tiny bit of jam on a small dish and allow it to cool. You will have an idea as to how thick the jam is at that point.
In sterilized mason jars, transfer the jam, leaving 1/4 in headspace. Seal the jars tightly and pressure cook for 15 minutes.
Allow the jars to fully cool on the counter.
Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat.
Enjoy!

See photos below for examples:

First prep the peppers, blackberries, and pears. *Make sure to wear rubber gloves when handling the peppers!*
Place pears in a medium sized bowl.
Mix 3 tsp. citric acid with 3 tbsp of water and add to the bowl of chopped pears.

In a large stock pot, add the pears, 4 tbsp of lime juice, and 3 tbsp of powder pectin (or 1 pouch of liquid pectin).
Heat on medium until the pears boil.
Once the pears boil, add the blackberries.
Add 5 1/2 cups of sugar to the pot and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Add the peppers to the pot.

Cook until the jam begins to thicken and the sugar is fully dissolved, approximately 5-7 minutes. To check the consistency, dab a tiny bit of jam on a small dish and allow it to cool. You will have an idea as to how thick the jam is at that point.