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1
Peel, halve and core your pears.
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2
Dice the pears finely, but not as small as brunoise. I am not going to go into detail here, but one thing I must say is keep your peeled pears submerged in a bowl of water and lemon juice so that they do not oxidize (turn brown).
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3
In a large, non-reactive (glass, plastic, ceramic) container, layer the sugar and the diced pears. Start with a thin layer of sugar on the bottom and end with sugar covering the top.
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4
Drizzle the lemon juice over the top layer.
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5
Close this container tightly and refrigerate overnight (for at least 18 and up to 24 hours).
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6
Next day, pour out the pears and the syrup they have formed into a deep pot.
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7
Scrape out the bottom layer of sugar into your pot as well.
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8
Bring this mix to a boil over high heat, uncovered, stirring.
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9
When the conserve is quite hot but not boiling, add the pear brandy. It should boil all at once. Stir well.
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10
Boil the conserve to thicken it and expel alcohol. For true, syrupy conserve, do not overcook. Boil for a scant 3 - 5 minutes. The conserve is done.
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11
The conserve can be waterbath canned. Properly prepared 6 - 8 oz glass containers should be processed for 10 minutes.
