We always have an abundance of pears in late September/early October. At this very moment many of them are the perfect ripeness for eating or canning - golden yellow, sweet, and juicy.
Some area just beginning to go around the bend - they are a little soft with brown spots, but still super sweet and juicy, perfect for baking and cooking. We sell these as second quality, which means you can get a great deal at half price.
I brought home a dozen or so of the less-then-perfect pears and had some fun in the kitchen. Here's two recipes for you to try...
Pears for the Baby
First I made a puree for the baby. Leaving the peels on but removing the cores and stems, I cut the rinsed pears into chunks and pureed them in the food processor until smooth. After filling an ice cube tray there was some left, which brings us to recipe number 2!
PEAR SAUCE
I'm not sure if I've ever had pear butter, and I've definitely never made it, so this was a fun experiment! The end result is an amazing little bowl full of pure Autumn deliciousness so I'll be making it again soon. Reading other recipes online, I see that orange zest is a popular ingredient. There's definitely room to make this recipe your own.
6-8 pears, cored and pureed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of cloves (careful, cloves are powerful!)
Pinch of nutmeg
- Pour your fresh pear puree into a medium sauce pan.
- Add the spices and stir till blended.
- On medium heat, bring it up to a gentle simmer.
- As the puree begins to thicken, reduce the heat to low and continue to gently simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Cook until you it gets as thick as you would like it. Store in a tightly lidded container in your fridge for 7-10 days.
* This recipe has no added sweeteners. If you would like a sweeter Pear Butter, I recommend Maple Syrup or honey (both available at the market!) but wait until the end to add it, when you'll know for sure if it needs it. Until about 10 minutes before it was done, I was skeptical that it would turn out right. But the flavors intensified a lot near the end.