This Apple/Pear Butter is the perfect combination of fall flavors and works as a spread or topping for many dishes.
I have been in love with apple butter since I was a child. Something about the combination of spice, apple, and rich texture has always been appealing to me. And, as is my approach to most things in life, I began to wonder about the process of making homemade apple butter.
But here’s the thing, I had a ton of pears in the house. I had been researching different recipes to use them in just due to the amount I had. And that’s when I thought, why not create some sort of apple/pear butter? This recipe can work with just apples, pears, or some combination of both if you’re feeling adventurous.
While pears and apples have very different flavors, they also have a surprising amount of similarity. One of the most fortunate things is that they have very close cooking times. This aspect really lends itself well to a mixture to create the apple/pear butter.
Check out the Craft section of MCG for more fun patterns in strings and things, or more unlimited ideas.
Ingredients
The core of this apple/pear butter recipe is apples or pears. Surprisingly, no butter. I feel like the name is leaning more toward it being a spread than it being a butter. Not sure where that came from. The only core ingredients in this are lemon juice, to help preserve the mixture, and an assortment of spices. Cause I love adding spices.
Process
The process for making apple/pear butter is simple enough that I didn’t feel the need to break it into parts. The first step is preparing the fruit. The peels from the apples and pears will affect the texture of the apple/pear butter, so I wanted to remove that element. But I will admit, peeling three pounds of fruit is tedious. Got some major wrist pain doing so. I also chopped up the fruit into smaller pieces (removing the seeds). I tried to keep the pieces relatively the same size to ensure similar cooking time.
Then, it’s time to throw everything into a pot. And I do mean everything. This recipe is truly a one-step cooking recipe. I added water, the lemon juice, and all the spices and mixed it up in the fruit as best I could. The water’s main purpose is to help soften the fruit, but it will boil off as time goes on.
I brought the water to a boil before leaving the temperature around medium. And then it’s time to wait. Everything should cook for about an hour to help tenderize the fruit, incorporate the flavors, and help the water evaporate. The water added as well as the water from the fruit, are the targets for evaporation.
The fruits were very soft at this point, but they were still in a relatively solid form. That’s why I brought a blender into the equation. An immersion blender is preferred since it would keep the ingredients from heat, but a standard blender can work as well. The main goal is just to reach a creamy and smooth texture. Blending will release some extra water, so cooking after blending is needed to help reduce the water content as much as possible.
Reflections
I have discovered a criminal lack of bread in my house. This apple/pear butter spread is delicious and the perfect accompaniment to toast. Or at least, eating it will toast feels more sane than eating it straight out of the jar… which is just as tempting. The spread has a warm richness from the spices and a mixture of sweet and tart from the fruits. Together, it can’t be beat. While I mentioned putting the spread on toast earlier, the apple/pear butter can really work well wherever you use jam. I am very tempted to use it as a topping for ice cream as well….
Lessons
Water Content
Fruits and Vegetables have a high amount of water content. Many of them are considered to be 70% or more water. The apples and pears blend well since they are both around 84% water. While all of this feels high, it’s very consistent with the natural work. Humans are made of about 60% water, while 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. We just naturally deal with having a lot of water in many aspects of our lives.
Recipe
Apple/Pear Butter
Equipment
- 1 Immersion Blender or standard blender
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Pears or Apples or a mix of both
- ⅓ Cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ Cup Water
- 2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Clove
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground All Spice
Instructions
- Peel Apples / Pears, remove seeds, and dice into small to medium pieces.
- Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot and mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to medium heat.
- Partially cover, allow steam to escape, and let simmer for 50-60 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent excess browning on the edges.
- Using a blender (or immersion blender) to puree mixture. Let cook for another 10-20 minutes, the mixture should be slightly thickened.
- Let cool and enjoy!
Leave a ReplyCancel reply