Vanilla Chai Spice Dried Pears
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A big box showed up in our dining room in mid-September with my name on the shipping label.
It was my birthday but I still scratched my head. This September, I had been so stressed that I mostly avoided the topic of my birthday or gifts with anyone that asked— I certainly didn’t need anything, but I also just couldn’t find a minute to think about it clearly.
I had ordered nothing (though in the same minute that thought entered my mind I also started doubting myself— had I hit “buy now” on that Dehydrator I had been eyeing instead of “add to cart?”).
When I got halfway through opening the box with a paring knife and found it was a Dehydrator, I doubted myself even further. So much so, that I stopped right there and pulled out my phone to check my order history.
Relief washed over me when I saw I had placed no orders in the last month, but I still had a mystery on my hands. I finished unpacking the appliance before drilling Oliver on who had bought it. It probably took me four tries to get it right, but when I did land on my dad it all made sense. I had given him a non-answer when he had asked about my birthday in general, so he had asked Oliver.
This new dehydrator was about five times nicer than any of the ones I was planning to buy myself! (THANKS DAD!)
So far, my absolute favorite thing to dehydrate has been pears.
This recipe is inspired by one I found in the book, “Dried and True”, a cookbook that takes dehydrating to the next level, moving it from boring old-fashioned recipes to new, inventive, and tantalizing flavors. I made the Dried Vanilla Pears from the book twice before venturing out on my own.
As soon as our first fall day hit, I immediately was dreaming about warmer flavors, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Chai. And that’s how these pears came to be — a day dream, like most of my recipes 😉
In real life, each slice of pear was such a treat, I savored every one. We took them hiking, ate them around the house, and packed them in our bags for outings around town. I always looked forward to those delicious pears. I thought, for about 5 seconds, about sharing them with a few coworkers but greed got the best of me and I kept it to myself. Sharing the recipe is almost as good, right?!
This recipe is good for dehydrating-pros or a newbies like me. Make it while the pears are at their peak! I used Starkrimson Pears one round and Colorado Heirloom Pears another; Starkrimson are especially hardy pears so hold up well to the boiling and dehydrating process.
Vanilla Chai Spice Dried Pears
Yield: 20 slices | Active Time: 8-9 hours
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients but the pears in a sauce pan, and bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Wash pears and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Remove seeds and cut of stems as you go.
- Work with 3-4 pear slices at once: submerge pears in syrup on the stove, simmering slices for 10 minutes. Pears should be softened through but should not fall apart easily.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove slices from syrup and set on a plate to cool for several minutes.
- When all of the pears are done, spread them out on the wracks of your dehydrator, with at least 1/4-inch of space between each slice.
- Place wrack in dehydrator and set to 135°F for 8-10 hours, until pears are dried but still chewy.
