One of my favorite items to take to holiday gatherings is an interesting jam or compote to accompany a cheese board. Consider recipes of years past: spiced carrot jam, onion jam and, if you want to go way back with me, bacon jam. I love bringing the host something delicious in a pretty glass jar, something they can put out immediately on a cheese tray or add to their holiday meal later.
This combination of pears, ginger and currants is perfect when paired with goat cheese, mascarpone or sharp cheddar. It is equally delicious on pork tenderloin sandwiches or with smoked or roasted turkey. The black pepper enhances the pungent crystallized ginger, and the texture is lovely with bits of chewy currant and ginger in each bite.
This recipe is pretty forgiving. You can use a mix of ripe and underripe pears, though you may have to add water or more orange juice to reach your desired consistency. This is closer to a compote than a jam, but you can use an immersion blender or food processor for a smoother texture.
Pear and Currant Compote
2 cups
3 cups diced ripe pear, peeled and cored
¾ cup sugar
½ cup currants
¼ cup minced crystallized ginger
Zest and juice of 1 medium orange
½ cup water, as needed
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer the pears, currants, sugar, ginger, orange juice and zest 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the water as needed, until the pears are softened.
• Mash the pears with a potato masher to reach the desired consistency, and stir in the black pepper. Let cool, then store in a sealed jar up to 2 weeks.
Dee Ryan is a longtime contributor to Sauce Magazine who also pens Make This.
This article appears in December 2017.