Don't think that I've forgotten about you or all those delicious pears we prepared...pre-pear-ed..see what I did there?...good one! Anyway, the dehydrated pear rings from our first pear installment were just the tip of the iceberg.
About half of the pears were peeled, cored and sliced using our handy peeler, corer, slicer machine. Man, I love it. Then I made the easiest pear sauce known to man.
Wait. What? What the Hannah is pear sauce, you ask? Well don't get too excited. It's just apple sauce - but made with pears. See, nothing revolutionary. Or is it?
I LOVE pear sauce. Maybe it's because I've been so conditioned to only register apple sauce. Maybe it's simply the pear far superior ability to be pulverized efficiently. Either way, I like the pear sauce much better. Remember these pears are the ones we got from my grandmother's tree. They are a bit harder and more tart than your typical pear. Which makes them perfect for sauce!
The consistency holds up beautifully and the tartness lends itself nicely to the long cook time. You'll need a long time to break down the firmness of the pear, you see.
I fill the crock pot full to the top with pears. Then I sprinkle about a 1/4 cup of sugar (I prefer to use sugar in the raw if I have it), 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ginger. Remember you should feel free to season as you like. Amp up the cinnamon if you like it, omit the vanilla, use brown sugar. It's all up to you.
Then I set the crock pot on high for 6 hours and forget about it completely. Then I let it sit on low, or warm, for another 2 hours (or more if I get caught up in something). It's easy for me as my crockpot as a multi-timer setting, but if you don't just set yourself an alarm on your phone or alarm clock even.
After that the pears break down easily by gently pressing them with a fork or potato masher. The natural juices of the pears are released during cooking and bring plenty of liquid to the sauce. Everything else you added, and it's delicious!
We went a step further this year and actually canned a few quarts. More on this to come. But if you're not up for that the sauce can be refrigerated safely for weeks and frozen for months. If freezing, use freezer bags or freezer designated plastic storage containers.
We now have over 10 quarts of pear sauce ready and waiting to be eaten or given as gifts. My girls love it for snack or even desert. My youngest prefers it hot. Our best friend used it as a pancake topper last weekend. Even my grandmother is secretly hoarding a jar we gave her, refusing to share with anyone.
I feel like that makes this another simple success.
Simple City Sam
