I order groceries online all the time, and inevitably when I buy ginger, I get too much. The website asks for a quantity (1) and the shopper inevitably believes I mean “1 pound of ginger” rather than “1 piece of ginger.” [Don’t even get me started about substitutions. No, powdered ground ginger is not an appropriate substitution.]
So, I sometimes have a lot of ginger.
I usually peel it, slice it up, and freeze it. It’s pretty easy to defrost a slice, and either mince it or chop it for whatever recipe I’m making.
Our March Book Club selection was The Ministry of Time by Kalaine Bradley. In it, the main character is British-Cambodian, and cooks several dishes she remembers from her childhood, including a Cambodian rice pudding. Now, my book club is the best book club for several reasons - one, we really do read the book. Two, we really do talk about the book. And three, we make food based on ideas in the book and have a giant pot luck. So I decided to make a rice pudding with coconut milk. I knew it would not be super authentic, but I found a recipe for a rice pudding with a pear ginger topping that sounded delicious. Unfortunately, I had to make a bunch of substitutions, because I couldn’t find Asian pears and I didn’t want to use coconut flakes. And I make changes to literally everything I cook, so my topping was more of a jam rather than diced fruit.
Updating this post to add a photo! The ginger pear butter won a First Place ribbon at the fair!
In the end, the pudding itself was kind of meh, but the topping was phenomenal. We had enough leftovers that I ate it on toast one day later in the week and used a bit as topping on cottage cheese for breakfast. It was excellent. Just the right amount of spice.
So this summer, while I was contemplating the mountain of ginger at my disposal and considering options for fair entries, I decided to make a ginger-pear butter.
Ginger-Pear Butter Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions:
1. Prep the ginger and pears:
Chop the ginger into a fine mince. There should be some texture left, but small bites. Peel, core, and dice the pears.
2. Cook it down:
Transfer the diced pear and ginger to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add lemon juice, both sugars, and salt. Stir well.
3. Simmer and stir:
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Let it bubble gently for 45–60 minutes, until it thickens into a glossy, spreadable paste. I wanted some chunks left in mine, so I kept one of the diced pears out of the sauce for the first 10 minutes or so, adding it in a little later to give it a chance to retain its texture. The texture also depends on the ripeness of your pears.
4. Jar and store:
I spooned the hot pear butter into hot, sterilized jars and used a boiling water bath to process the jars. That will keep them shelf stable for up to a year. You could also let the sauce cool and store it in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or freeze it in ½ cup quantities to extend its shelf life.
Yield: About 2 pints.
Ready to enjoy? Here are some delicious combinations to try:
- Spread on toast with a swipe of cream cheese
- Stir into plain yogurt or oatmeal
- Glaze roasted chicken or pork
- Add a spoonful to cheese boards (pairs beautifully with aged cheddar or brie)
- Bake into thumbprint cookies or swirl into muffin batter
So next time your grocery order goes haywire, give it a try. That extra ginger might be the start of your next favorite recipe.
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