Take a couple of pears

The fruit this year is of very good quality. We were blessed with abundant harvests. As with anything I need to preserve on the property, I enjoy capturing the flavours of the fruit in alcohol. The pears are no exception.

I love Packham pears and the tree in the orchard is in top form this year. I enjoy the flavour of the sun ripened fruit. We have enjoyed them in so many different ways. Cooked in cinnamon and suspended in jelly as desert; juiced with lime and beetroot for a healthy breakfast juice; and surely the best- in a salad with blue cheese, pecan nuts and arugula.

It was inevitable that there would be a pear liqueur on the shelf in the cellar at the end of it all. I made a pear and vanilla pod liqueur.

Pear and Vanilla Pod Liqueur recipe:

4 ripe but firm pears
1 Vanilla pod
500ml Sugar
500ml Water
750ml Vodka
1,5l glass jar with lid

Wash and dry the pears. Remove the cores and discard, cut the pears into big chunks and place in the jar. Cut the Vanilla pod in half with a sharp paring knife. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla pod and add to the pears in the jar. Fill the jar with the Vodka and close the lid. Shake gently to mix the pears and vanilla. Place in a dark cool place for a month.

When your pear and Vodka mixture is ready, make simple syrup with 500ml of sugar and 500ml of water. Heat the sugar and water mixture over a low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, bring to a boil and take it off the heat. Let the syrup cool overnight.

Filter the pear infused Vodka into a glass jar through a double muslin cloth to catch small, hard-to-see bits of pear that, when left in the liqueur, cause it to develop ‘off’ flavours more quickly.

Add the cold simple syrup and mix well. You can now bottle your liqueur. Let it rest for a few days before enjoying.

Pear liqueur is a sweet memory of a summer’s day in autumn. It can be enjoyed in winter on its own or in a whisky-based cocktail.