tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279009730292308366.post9004414833066549007..comments2010-09-30T08:19:11.706-07:00nina corbetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04918218646855754008noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279009730292308366.post-86038433584117208322010-09-30T08:19:11.706-07:002010-09-30T08:19:11.706-07:00I googled and came upon this recipe, and it&#39;s just what I&#39;m looking for to make holiday gifts for my relatives. <br /><br />I have a couple of questions, though. How strong is the brandy/peppercorn flavor? I really want to make something a little more special and refined than plain canned pears, but I&#39;m afraid of scaring off some of the people on my gift list with less adventurous palates. One of the other commenters mentioned star anise--would that go well with the brandy and vanilla in lieu of the peppercorns?<br /><br />THanks so much for posting this! I&#39;m glad I stumbled upon your blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279009730292308366.post-87607348500334442482009-12-05T09:04:34.311-08:002009-12-05T09:04:34.311-08:00Well lets see, it could be a few things.<br /><br />A.Could be a bad seal, check the seals on all your jars.<br />B.Insufficient acid before canning. But I think you would have noticed it before placing the fruit in the jars. Although this doesn&#39;t look perfect, the fruit will still taste ok,but I know how disappointing it is when you want to gift them.You can always throw them into a bread pudding or something.<br />C.Is the brown in the core area? If so it may be that you did not remove all of the core. I have had this happen when I did not remove the stringy part above the core.The brown will not spread from that area.<br />D.What kind of pear did you use? Asian pears need the addition of acid to the jars.<br /><br />If you would like to you can send me a picture of the fruit for me to further inspect.<br /><br />Feel free to email me at nina@putsup.com.<br />Let me know the verdict pleaseninahttp://www.putsup.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279009730292308366.post-64993094545523919012009-12-02T10:15:35.671-08:002009-12-02T10:15:35.671-08:00Nina, I was examining some of the pears I made, and some of them are turning brown, especially where I scooped out the core with a melon baller. They taste fine, just aren&#39;t too pretty. Any ideas about why this is? Maybe I didn&#39;t use enough lemon juice in the anit-browning water soak? I also might have used too much brandy, as I added 1/3C to the syrup, instead of adding it to each jar. It is very brandy-y, which is ok, but I would prefer it to be more subtle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279009730292308366.post-48046911993209699662009-11-30T08:26:14.548-08:002009-11-30T08:26:14.548-08:00I made this last Saturday, and have already given some away as X-mas gifts. Boy, is it delicious! Wish I could do more today, but have to work. I think I will try a variation next weekend. Maybe something with mint and triple sec. Any suggestions?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279009730292308366.post-16016859995691292872009-10-17T04:55:10.471-07:002009-10-17T04:55:10.471-07:00Mmmm. This sounds good. I just did a drunken version of pears in lots and lots of brandy. Without the brandy, I prefer star anise. Delish!Doris the Goathttp://dorisandjillycook.comnoreply@blogger.com