Peach & Pear Preserves with Rum & Cinnamon

It's nearly peach season here in Southern California, and while I'm planning on going peach-picking next month, I couldn't wait that long to try my hand at making another kind of jam, or preserves, to be precise. I always think of jam as smoother and more pureed than preserves, and I kept nice chunks of the peaches and pears in this one which is why I'm not calling it a jam. This is my new favorite fruit spread though, and while it came out superb, it was not without errors. For example, when I went to add the cinnamon, I grabbed the cumin instead and dumped a teaspoon of it into the pot, before instantly realizing that whatever I'd just plopped in definitely did not smell like cinnamon. So, I promptly freaked out for a full 10 seconds, then managed to calm myself enough to scoop out the vast majority of the cumin and add the cinnamon to remedy my error. But when I tasted the preserves I could kind of taste the cumin, not at all a strong taste, and probably not even identifiable if I didn't know about the cumin already, but it was actually weirdly nice. Kind of added another layer of flavor to the preserves. So I kept a "pinch" of cumin in the recipe here. Thank goodness some mistakes actually end up working out for the better! Unlike those sage green clogs....Also, a tip on peeling the peaches, drop them whole in boiling water for 1 minute and then remove them with tongs and allow them to cool enough to be handled. Make a cut in the skin of the peach, and you should be able to peel off all the skin easily with your hands.

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Ingredients:

4 Bartlett Pears, cored, peeled, and finely chopped

6 Peaches, pitted, peeled, and chopped

1 Package Powdered Pectin

4 and 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Spiced Rum

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Pinch of Cumin

(3) 16-Ounce Canning Jars, sterilized

In a small bowl combine the pectin with 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar and mix well. Combine the sugar-pectin mixture with the peaches and pears in a large pot over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to boil rapidly.

Add the remaining spices, sugars, and rum. Mix well. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil once again, then cook for another two minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pot from the heat and continue stirring for another 4 minutes. Then pour the preserves into the sterilized jars, leaving 1 cm of head space. Seal them tightly and submerge the sealed jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the jars from the water using tongs and allow to cool to room temperature before serving. After opening, keep jars refrigerated.