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Whole peeled cooking pears with stalks, deep red, in a white earthenware dish with a dark red syrupy sauce, a cinnamon stick and lemon zest.
Our own AI-generated illustration; not a photograph of food prepared by the editorial team.
Limburg · Recipes

Stewed pears with Limburg syrup

A cooking pear does not soften on its own; it needs hours in the pan. A spoonful of apple and pear syrup gives the liquid a dark, fruity depth. The longer the pears stew, the redder they become.

Editorial team Holland Magazine ·

In South Limburg apples and pears have been made into syrup for centuries, and the craft of boiling Limburg syrup is recognised as national intangible cultural heritage, writes Visit Zuid-Limburg. Stirring that syrup into the cooking liquid of stewed pears is our own variation, not a traditional Limburg recipe.

Serves 4 as a dessert · Preparation: 15 min · Cooking: 170 min

Times are guidelines; preheat during preparation where possible. Allow extra time to cool food before storing it.

Equipment

Vegetable peeler, large pan with a tight-fitting lid, slotted spoon.

Ingredients

  • 1000 g small cooking pears (8–10 pears)
  • 500 ml water
  • 200 ml redcurrant juice
  • 60 g Limburg apple and pear syrup
  • 40 g caster sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 strip of lemon zest, 5 cm long, without pith

Method

  1. Peel the pears, leaving the stalks on. Stand them upright or lay them on their sides close together in the pan.
  2. Stir the water, redcurrant juice, syrup and sugar together in a bowl until smooth and pour over the pears. Add the cinnamon, cloves and lemon zest. The pears do not need to be fully submerged.
  3. Bring to the boil, which takes about 10 minutes, turn the heat down and cover. Stew gently for 2–2½ hours. Turn the pears every half hour so they colour evenly. They are done when a knife slides in without resistance.
  4. Lift the pears into a dish with the slotted spoon. Remove the cinnamon, cloves and lemon zest from the liquid. Boil the liquid uncovered until it is syrupy and about 200 ml remains; allow 8–12 minutes, depending on the pan and the heat. Pour the sauce over the pears. Serve warm or cold.
Pale peeled pears with stalks packed close together in a white pan of red cooking liquid, with a cinnamon stick, cloves and a strip of lemon zest.
Our own AI-generated illustration; not a photograph of food prepared by the editorial team.

Storage

Cool within 2 hours and keep the pears in their liquid, covered, in the fridge at 4 °C. Eat within 2 days.

Allergens

None of the main allergens that must be declared by law in the listed ingredients. Check the labels of the syrup and the juice.

Our own adaptation for home cooking, not kitchen-tested. Times are guidelines; check the result described in the method.

Sources & image credits →

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