I enjoy “putting up” fruit at the end of the season almost as much as I enjoy growing it. This year we had lots of berries, but our fruit trees did not do well. We only had a few apples and our pear crop was not much larger. The pears were average size, but there were so few of them. My friend Heather, had lots of pears on her tree, but they were undersized. They were so small that her father-in-law, who usually harvests them all, decided they weren’t good for anything. Heather knew how disappointed I was with my crop and since her family does not like pears (gasp!), she generously offered her pears to me. Between our two pathetic crops, I had enough to create pear sauce, pear bread, and snacks for my family.
I make my pear sauce quickly in a pressure cooker. I leave the skins on and blend them up with my immersion blender.
- ~10 cups thick pear slices (about 10 large pears), remove core, leave skin
- 1 cup pear juice or apple juice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Put the pear slices in the pressure cooker (do not fill beyond the fill line of your pressure cooker). Pour juice over the pears. Add spices.
- Lock the lid in place. Cook over high heat until it reaches high pressure.
- As soon as it reaches high pressure, remove the pressure cooker from the heat. Allow the pressure to drop naturally. When the pressure has been released, you can safely remove the lid. And you will find super soft, mushy pears.
- Use an immersion blender, blender, food processor, or food grinder.to blend the pears to the desired consistency.
Now I am torn. As a self appointed fruit and vegetable ambassador, I feel I should find recipes that would allow Heather and her family to appreciate pears, but since I am reaping the benefits of their aversion I don’t have much incentive to do so. : )
And yes, I will be bring Heather some pear sauce tomorrow. If her family doesn't like it out of the jar, she can add it to cake in place of oil to create a spice cake.
Related Posts:
How to Make Applesauce in a Pressure Cooker.
For more delicious recipes, visit Hearth and Soul Hop, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday.
Couscous & Consciousness says
October 19, 2010 at 3:20 amHi Alea – thanks for stopping by – nice to see that you are busy with pears too 🙂 This pear sauce sounds wonderful and I bet with the cinnamon and nutmeg in their your kitchen is smelling wonderful right now.
Sue
Melynda says
October 19, 2010 at 3:33 amHi Alea, this looks delicious. Most folks forget that pears also make a great fruit sauce. Thanks so much.
yvettesblogs.com says
October 19, 2010 at 9:49 amI've never made pear sauce, but this looks a treat!Yvette
girlichef says
October 19, 2010 at 12:21 pmPressure cookers are always something I've been a little bit scared of (weird?)…but I'm leaning closer to looking into one. Your pear sauce sounds delicious…thank you for sharing it with the hearth and soul hop this week 🙂
Christy says
October 19, 2010 at 8:02 pmI can't imagine not liking pears – but who am I to judge? Lucky you and them since you are sharing the bounty! Thanks Alea for sharing this with us at the hearth and soul hop!
Lisa says
October 19, 2010 at 8:22 pmI just made a batch of applesauce for the first time in my life and now I'm dying to try pear sauce as well. Pears are on sale so I'll have to try this as soon as they ripen.
Abby Approved says
October 19, 2010 at 9:45 pmYum! That looks good. I have done some applesauce for us and lots of applesauce and pears for the baby. So good!
a moderate life says
October 20, 2010 at 5:05 amHi Alea! Thanks so much for sharing this on the hearth and soul hop this week. I just made some peach sauce a few weeks ago and it is only getting better! Pear sauce reminds me of the poached pears my gran used to make us as kids! Your's looks so easy and doesn't the stick blender make for quick work? Big hugs and all the best! Alex@amoderatelife
Wendy says
October 20, 2010 at 12:56 amThat's how I do mine, so it must be tasty! 🙂 Stopping by from the H 'n S Blog Hop. Would love to have you join my Thursday Carnival….
Wendy
Around My Family Table
Domestic Nerd says
October 21, 2010 at 5:41 amWe made homemade applesauce for the first time last fall & loved it! I now want to try and make pear sauce since pears are on sale right now & we love them!
But…I don't have a pressure cooker, do you think this same recipe would work in a crockpot…just set on low for a few hours?
Thanks!
domesticnerd(at)gmail(dot)com
Alea says
October 21, 2010 at 5:49 amYes, you can make pear sauce in the crock pot. Just leave them in until they are nice and mushy. 🙂 The great thing about making apple sauce or pear sauce in the crockpot is that the house smells great for a few hours longer!
Shirley Sereque says
October 16, 2016 at 7:38 pmHi!
Do you know how to use Pear Vinegar? I received some but on the internet it just had “pear” stuff and “vinegar” stuff. Writing to the (California) place it came from did not even give me the courtesy of a reply. Do you have any ideas for Pear Vinegar?
Thanks
Debby says
July 31, 2017 at 1:35 pmDoes this work for “hard” pears or, as some people call them, “sand pears”?