It's pear season y'all, and that means Fall is just around the corner. I can't wait for the cooler weather and all of the yummy flavors that go with it!
Today I'm going to share a delightful recipe for pears... with brown sugar and cinnamon! The flavor of this recipe is not only amazing, but you get more bang for your buck, sorta speak, because we make it two different ways with just one cooking! Let me explain... We start out with more of a chunky product - which is great over pancakes or waffles, or in pies or cobblers, that sort of thing. Then we break it down into more of an applesauce type of consistency - which is good swirled into cakes, spread on toast, or even slathered onto chicken or pork. You can use these pears in so many different ways. Just let your imagination run wild...
I am listing this as a canning recipe (because we had so many pears), but feel free to reduce the amounts, and skip the canning part, to use it as a fresh product instead.
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
- 6 quarts rough cut, prepared Pears
- 2 cups Brown Sugar
- 1 Tbs Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Nutmeg (optional)
Method:
Prepare your pears by peeling them and cutting out the cores, as well as any bad spots. (A melon baller works great for this.) Chop the remaining fruit into chunky pieces and place them in a large (at least 6 quart) slow cooker. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg (if using). (Not all pears carry the same amount of sweetness, and everyone's tastes are a little different. You may want to tweak the amount of sugar to achieve the sweetness that you desire. Taste it as you're cooking, and adjust as needed.)
Cook on high for about 2 hours. (Make sure the mixture is bubbling good.) Then reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook until the pears are tender and the sauce has reduced. (The level will drop quite a bit, and it can take several more hours.) It may also be helpful to remove the lid, so that some of the moisture can escape.
If canning: Bring a water bath canner, with enough water to cover your jars in it, to a boil. In a separate pot, simmer enough lids and rings to complete your jars. (For reference: Using this recipe, I got 3 pints of chunky pears, and 2 half pints of sauce.)
Spoon desired amount of chunky pears into clean, sterile, pint sized jars. Fill them to within 1/2 inch of the rim. Remove any air bubbles, using a plastic or wooden utensil. Wipe the rims clean, and attach one lid and ring (hand tight) to each jar.
Using a potato masher, smash up the remaining pears to an applesauce consistency. Place this sauce into half pint jars, as listed above.
Process them in the water bath canner for 20 minutes. (Processing times vary based on altitude. If you are over 1,000 feet, you can use this link to find yours.) (I went ahead and did both sizes of jars together, but used the processing time for the larger jars. It wasn't going to hurt the sauce to process longer, and I'd rather be safe.)
Remove them from the canner, and place them on the counter to cool. Once they are completely cooled, check the seals by pressing your finger in the center of the lids. If any spring back up, it did not seal properly. You'll need to refrigerate and use that jar first.
I always think about brown sugar and cinnamon with apples, but you're right - why not pears? Sounds like they'd be quite yummy. :) Thanks for stopping by and sharing this recipe on Five Friday Finds!
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