Recipe for slow cooker poached pears in caramel sauce 

 

When my Canadian relatives arrive for American Thanksgiving next month, I want to spend lots of time visiting with them instead of working in the kitchen. My strategy this year involves slow cookers, putting all three of mine (3-, 4- and 7-quart) to work. In the largest cooker, I'll make black bean and sweet potato stew, a colorful vegan main dish. The 3-quart might be perfect for gravy, and the 4-quart for a dessert to serve alongside the got-to-have-it pumpkin pie. Kathy, my cooking assistant, and I are testing several dessert possibilities, and we think these poached pears in caramel sauce are a winner. They're simple and elegant on their own, which is how I like them, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top will melt the heart of even the most die-hard pie fan.

Slow cooker poached pears in caramel sauce

From the pantry, you'll need: brown sugar, ginger root, unsalted butter, cinnamon.
Adapted from Real Simple, this recipe makes 4-8 servings (1-2 pear halves per person).

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp grated ginger root
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 firm, slightly underripe Bartlett or Bosc pears
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, for garnish

Directions

In a 4-quart slow cooker, stir together the sugar, ginger and butter.
Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler. Cut each pear in half lengthwise, and use a melon baller to remove the core. With a sharp paring knife, remove the stem and trim the bottom.
Gently toss the pears with the sugar mixture in the slow cooker, and layer them cut side down.
Set the cooker to HIGH, cover, and cook for 2 hours, until the pears are tender when pierced with a knife. (Open the cooker once during the cook time and gently spoon the sauce over the top pears.) Turn the cooker off, and with a slotted spoon, remove the pears to a bowl.
Pour the caramel sauce into a small sauce pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, to keep the sauce at a simmer. Shaking the pan fairly constantly, reduce the caramel sauce by one-third of its original volume (don't let the caramel get too dark, or it will have a burnt taste), 2-3 minutes.
Place 1-2 pear halves per person on individual plates. Spoon a bit of sauce over the pears, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Sugar-free maple baked pears
Dried cranberry and pear chutney
Rum raisin pear pie
Pear spice cupcakes
Fennel, pear and olive salad
Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Sour cream pear cake with pecan streusel, from Pinch My Salt
Crockpot pear and ginger applesauce, from Cookin' Canuck
Low sugar and whole wheat apple-pear cake with cinnamon and pecans, from Kayn's Kitchen
Roasted Brussels sprouts and pears, from  Food Blogga
Pear ginger compote, from Whipped

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Recipe for slow cooker baked apples, or chunky applesauce

 

What happens when a good recipe goes kerplooie? You end up with two good recipes. Kathy and I were aiming for these beautiful slow cooker baked apples when, the first time around, we left them in a bit too long. The apples burst in the cooker, and with some gentle encouragement from a wooden spoon, the large remaining chunks became spoon-sized chunks and the whole thing morphed into the most indulgently rich applesauce. I decided to share both recipes with you -- the one we intended to make, which worked perfectly the second time around, and the one we made by accident, so good that we made it again on purpose. If you don't have a 7-quart slow cooker (CrockPot), buy smaller apples that will fit into a 6-quart cooker. Baked apples or applesauce, laced with dried cranberries and crunchy granola and brown sugar -- only one thing could make them better -- a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting slowly on top.

Slow cooker baked apples, or chunky applesauce

From the pantry, you'll need: light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves.
Serves 6.

Ingredients

6 large firm apples (Macoun, Cortland, Jonathan, etc.), cored
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granola + extra for garnish for apple sauce
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup apple cider or pomegranate juice

Directions

With a paring knife, trim a ring around the top of the apples. Fit the apples into a 7-quart slow cooker, trimmed part facing up.
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, granola, cranberries, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Stuff the mixture into the apples. Pour the cider into the bottom of the cooker.
Cook on HIGH 1-1/2 hours for baked apples, or 2 hours for applesauce.