Rum Spiced Pear Jam Recipe with Gingerbread Scones
Hello friends, today I’m bringing you a delicious Rum Spiced Pear Jam Recipe, perfect for canning.
As much as I love living in the coastal Southeast, I do get excited when winter rolls in…if for no other reason than I can wear some of my favorite sweaters! Well, that and I love baking, and having a home filled with the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg or chicken soup on a cold day is sheer bliss to me.
It was 80° on Friday and mid-70°s on Saturday, so when the forecast said that the high on Sunday would be in the 50°s, my mind immediately started wondering what wonderful things I could cook and bake on that chilly (relatively) day. And what my mind came up with was some this Rum Spiced Pear Jam Recipe.
For several years now we’ve given jars of preserves with a baked treat to neighbors, friends, and teachers as food gifts. I needed to get some of the jams made and wanted to ‘test run’ the baked good that would accompany the jam.
I initially thought of a wonderful Cardamom Spiced Plum jam that I have made for several years, but when I went to the grocery store to gather my plums, imagine my disappointment when the produce guy told me that plums aren’t in season anymore! How did that happen? It was just July, like yesterday!? So I went back home, a little dejected but not deterred.
I gathered my favorite canning books around me as I watched my favorite football team play rather poorly and scoured the cookbooks for inspiration. And what I came up with was…PEARS! I have not canned with pears before…their sometimes grainy texture has never said ‘make a jam out of me’ like a white nectarine (oh my!) or a tart cherry. But several of the authors I respect touted the pear as a great winter preserve, so I resolved then and there to go down the ‘pear path’.
I had the aforementioned cardamom-spiced plum jam in my mind and while I knew plums were no longer an option, I just wasn’t able to shake the ‘cardamom’ part. So cardamom pear jam it was, but a funny thing happened while I was seeking inspiration. I noticed some folks using brandy in their preserves.
I didn’t have brandy, but I did have a quarter of a bottle of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum…tell me that didn’t sound good with my cardamom-spiced pears!? And because I’ve never one to leave well enough alone, I decided a few pieces of cinnamon would only make my jam just that much better.
The resulting Rum Spiced Pear Jam is spectacular! The pears melted into soft, gently flavored spread that screamed (in my mind anyway) for …Gingerbread! Are pears and gingerbread a real thing? Or is it just in my, sometimes challenged, mind?
I know my mom made a gingerbread several years ago that had pears in it, so I think that’s where this ‘pearing’ (get it?) originated. In any event, I slept on this potential pairing and when I awoke this morning…the Rum Spiced Pear Jam recipe + Gingerbread = Perfection thought was still buzzing around, so I had no choice but to follow.
I didn’t want something too sweet for my baked goods; I was thinking along the biscuit or scones line. I went to the World Wide Web, typed in Gingerbread Scones and this recipe from Serious Eats is the one that caught my attention first. And, as if the stars weren’t already aligning in my favor, it’s a ‘one bowl’ recipe.
This recipe now has a permanent spot in my repertoire. It’s one of those that once you find it, you don’t want to look for anything else. I’ll be making many batches of these scones to accompany my jam as gifts, but know I’ll also be making several batches for our own enjoyment. They are the perfect pair; in fact, I’d go so far as to say the Gingerbread Scones are the Ginger Rogers to the Rum Spiced Pear Jam’s Fred Astaire.
In addition to more batches of the scones, I’ll also be making more jam for my pantry, as well as for gifting. I found these great little spoons in Napa Valley several years ago and bought a couple to use and to gift. I have gifted or have used all except this one, which when paired with the Rum Spiced Pear Jam and scones will make a perfect gift. I need to be on the lookout for unique teaspoons and spreaders or butter knives to replenish my stash.
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If you are new to canning, I highly recommend The Ball Book of Canning and Preserving. I’ve been canning for years and I still refer to it regularly to make sure I am canning safely. A basic canning kit is also very handy. I am not a collector of unnecessary tools and the tools in these kits are really very necessary for canning. You’d have a hard time pouring the jam neatly into the jars and lifting the jars out of boiling water without some of the tools in a canning kit.
Here are the jars I used, but mine have the black lids. I don’t see that they sell the black lids anymore!
Rum Spiced Pear Jam Recipe
A lightly spiced pear jam, seasoned with spiced rum, cardamom and cinnamon.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs ripe Bartlett pears, should yield 8 cups, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 10 green cardamom seed pods, slightly crushed to release/expose seeds and wrapped in a piece of muslin or in a tea infuser.
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tablespoons spiced rum, I'm sure any rum would be fine, but the spiced does have a nice flavor, but feel free to experiment
Instructions
- Prepare canner, jars and lids. See The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving for guidance.
- Place a saucer in your freezer
- Place pears, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods in a large stainless steel saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.
- Boil, stirring frequently until mixture thickens which should take about 15 minutes
- Remove from heat and gel test by placing a small amount of the jam on the plate. Put plate back in freezer for 1 minutes. If when you push it with your finger it wrinkles a bit it is done.
- If gel state has been reached, skim off any foam and stir in rum.
- Spoon your jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
- Remove air bubbles and wipe rim.
- Center lid on jar
- Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.
- Place jars in canner, making sure they are completely covered with water
- Cover pot and bring to a boil
- Boil for 10 minutes
- Turn heat off, remove lid and let sit for 5 minutes
- Carefully remove jars with jar lifter and place on a rack where they can be undisturbed for 24 hours.
- Refrigerate any jars if their lids don't pop down.
Notes
This recipe assumes some knowledge of proper and safe canning techniques. Please see the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving for guidance.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Soeos Cinnamon Sticks (18 oz), 3.5 Inches Length, Strong Aroma, Perfect for Baking, Cooking & Berages, Non-GMO, Kosher Certified, Vietnamese Cinnamon Bulk, Vaccum Packaged Premium Quality. -
McCormick Gourmet All Natural Whole Cardamom Pods, 0.95 oz
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Kitchencraft Home Made Stainless Steel Maslin Pan With Handle, 9 Litre
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Küchenprofi 18/10 Stainless Steel Funnel with Filter
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New Norpro 606 Magnetic Canning Jar Lid Wand Lifter Removing Tool Sale
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NORPRO 591 Canning Bubble Popper/Measurer, Green
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Roots & Branches VKP1002 Home Canning Jar Lifter, Securely Grips, Red
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NORPRO 591 Canning Bubble Popper/Measurer, Green
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New Norpro 606 Magnetic Canning Jar Lid Wand Lifter Removing Tool Sale
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Küchenprofi 18/10 Stainless Steel Funnel with Filter
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Kitchencraft Home Made Stainless Steel Maslin Pan With Handle, 9 Litre
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Until next time…
Hugs,
This sounds amazing, but is there anything that can be used in place of the lemon juice? I have a citrus allergy.
Hi Jessica, I understand you can sub apple cider vinegar for lemon juice for the necessary acidity but I’ve never done it so can’t say how it would taste. If you do try it I would love for you to let me know what you think of the jam made with the vinegar
Have s great day,
Lynn
Lynn, this sounds soooo gooood!!! And with the scones, oh my! I know what you mean, when you say you look forward to the winter season. ( and it’s still real warm in Nov.) Here in the South of Spain, today I’m barefoot and in T-shirt, that’s how warm it still is. I need some cold! It does get cooler normally at this time. Hopefully soon! I’m also into all kinds of cinnamon & nutmeg spiced goodies!!!
HOpe the weather breaks in your favor soon! I’m always ready for the seasons to change from one to another! Hope you’re enjoying your baking. And I still haven’t seen the end of Sunday’s WD episode. My feed kept stalling! UGH!!! Don’t tell me anything!
Oh my does this jam sound delicious! Would make fabulous hostess gifts – thanks for the recipe. I pinned it to my Holiday Recipe Board to share!
Marie, thanks for visiting and the jam is quite delicious. My family is running through it very quickly…I’ll surely be making more soon. Hope you enjoy it…Lynn
Wow… Your recipe looks mouth watering! I’ve always wanted to try to make a preserve or jam something. This might be the one!
Hi Wendi, I encourage you to give it a try…really very easy and so delicious. But you have to make the scones as well…they’re perfect together! Thanks for visiting today. Lynn
Lynn, There are so many things I love about this post, first the recipe, it sounds so good! I love the combination, it screams Holiday to me! The pears, cardamom and the spice rum. What a great combination! I love the twists and changes you went through, I love to adapt and figure out what would be the best fit for my family and I! Awesome. Second, that spoon is so cute! So good of you to gift it, I’m not sure I could give it away! Third, I love burlap and the wrap on the plant is so cool, I have a rosemary plant that I brought in for the winter, I think it needs a burlap skirt just like this one!!
Perfect post, I really loved it! The whole thing! Pinning for future use! Thanks for sharing.
xx
Nikki, as always, thanks for all your kind comments. You really are quite the party hostess. I do so enjoy posting to your party because you put so much thought and effort into your hosting. I’ll see you next week.
Lynn
This sounds very yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Thanks for visiting Jann and plan to see you next week!
Lynn
Hi Lynn! I’m popping over from Abby’s blog.. 🙂 This sounds delish! 🙂 I was just thinking today about making some jam to give as a few gifts to people. Quick question.. do I have to use a canner or is it okay to just twist the lids if they will be refrigerated?
Hi Ciara, I am by no means a Home Preserving expert and so I tried to do a little research on the subject. What I found was rather ambiguous in terms of how long you can keep the jars of jam in your refrigerator before they spoil, so I don’t have a hard answer for you. The type of canning you would need to preserve this is really pretty simple, requiring just a pot large enough to completely cover the jars with water, ball/kerr jars and a simple canning kit comprising the tongs to pick the hot jars up out of the water, a magnetic ‘stick’ to pick the lids up out of hot water and a gauge to make sure your jam leaves the correct head space. The Ball Book on canning is an excellent resource if you’re inclined to head that way.
The jam is really yummy…I hope it encourages you to give this skill a try! I think you’ll be pleased with the results.
Feel free to contact me with any more questions
Thanks, Lynn
Ohh my this jam is brilliant! I bet it would be amazing for thumbprint cookies!
Hi Erin, I never thought of using it for thumbprint cookies…but you’re right! Hmmm…you’re getting my mind a whirling! Thanks for the idea and for stopping by.
Lynn
Hey Lynn!! So sorry.. I must have missed this comment! Thank you soo much for the info!! I think I’m gonna give it a whirl! ; )
You are so welcome Ciara! Hope you enjoy it as much as we…did! All my jars are gone!? I make some more after the beginning of the year.
Have a fantastic weekend
Lynn
I only found ground cardamom, how much should I use?
The rule of thumb is 1/4 tsp of ground for 5 cardamom pods. However…I’d start with 1/4 and taste before you add the whole 1/2 tsp because you don’t want the cardamom to overwhelm the jam. Come back and let me know what you think.
Happy Jamming!
When do you add the rum?
Hi Donna…Yikes…I am so glad you caught that! Add the rum with the rest of the ingredients…I did make a correction to the recipe.
Enjoy!
Hugs, Lynn
Thanks for the info. I’ve not made this yet, but will soon. I ty[ically make jam with pectin. Your recipe uses more fruit and less sugar than the typical pear jam made with pectin. Do you have any trouble with it thickening?
Hi Donna…I would characterize this as a ‘soft set’, more spreadable jam…but with that in mind, I did not have a problem with it setting up. I hope this helps. I try to avoid pectin when I can so have learned to accept jams that are softer as a result.
That being said, I would imagine you could add the spices and rum to your pectin recipe if you do prefer a firmer set. I’d love to hear which direction you go.
Hugs, Lynn
Hi! Please correct this recipe to list adding the rum in just one place. Currently, one is told to add it with all the other ingredients at the beginning and to add it after the preserves are done cooking.
Oh Beth, thanks for catching that! I have corrected it and very much appreciate you pointing the error out to me!
Have a great day my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn
Did you post the gingerbread scone recipe and somehow I am missing the recipe?
Hi Lisa,
I linked to the Serious Eats Gingerbread Scone recipe in the text, before the actual recipe. But, you have me thinking that I may need to come up with one of my own!
Enjoy!