Slow-Cooker Pear Butter

When I was about 4 or 5, we planted a pear tree in the little orchard beside my house. Over the years, the tree has grown into a magnificent spectacle of arboreal life. While most of the trees in our orchard have sadly withered and died, the pear tree remains strong and vibrant, producing a lush abundance of fruit every summer. 

A few summers ago, I decided to explore the art of canning, and our annual bumper pear crop was going to be one of my test subjects. I honestly can't even remember how many jars of jellies and jams I made over those few months -- pear jelly, vanilla pear jelly, pear jam, pear and cherry jam, and on, and on. All I know is that I had enough jars of pear-y confections to provide everyone I know with a homemade Christmas gift and still have enough left over to satiate myself for the next year. 

Therefore, with our yearly plentiful pear crop, I've begun to experiment with a variety of pear-oriented recipes. I once made a pear and ginger cheesecake that was remarkably delicious. On a separate occasion, I attempted a pear cream pie, which was nothing short of a complete culinary disaster -- however, at the last minute, I decided to pull a Tim Gunn and "made it work," but with an indecent amount of gelatin and gratuitous swearing. 

My favorite recipe, however, has to be pear butter, for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, who doesn't love fruit butters? Everyone loves apple butter! Speaking of which, I swear that the Flying Biscuit in Atlanta must put crack in their cranberry apple butter, because it's beyond addictive. Anyhow, I digress. Another concoction I created during the summer of endless canning was a peach butter that was insanely good. So, long story short, it would probably be immensely difficult to create a fruit butter that doesn't inspire salivation. 

On that last point, another reason I appreciate my pear butter recipe is that creating fruit butters is ridiculously easy. As much as I love jelly, I have to admit, it is a pain in the nether regions to make. If you don't nail the recipe with 100% precision, you will either end up with Jell-O or a runny mess. While making a jam is significantly easier, making a fruit butter is even simpler still, as you don't have to worry about pectin or specific cooking times, and all that jazz. As a matter of fact, I make all my fruit butters in a crock-pot. All you need do is peel and slice your fruit, add sugar and whatever other ingredients you like, and let it roll. Done deal. Seriously, it's completely idiot-proof. 

Now, while I will gladly share with you my recipe for pear butter, if you want to learn how to properly can your finished product, I encourage you to go elsewhere for guidance. I learned my canning techniques from the old school master (a.k.a. my mom), but whenever I've attempted canning, it's been a matter of trial and error. So because I'd rather you not give your friends and family tiny jars of botulism for Christmas, I will recommend any one of the plethora of websites devoted to this culinary art as a research source. 

For this recipe, you will need a standard 5 to 6 quart slow-cooker. Also, in regards to the type of pears to use, I say just use whatever the hell variety you want. Our pear tree produces a variety known as "sand pears" (also frequently called "Asian pears"), so that's what I use. But for the sake of being economic, I encourage you to use whatever is least expensive and more readily available. 

Slow-Cooker Pear Butter

About 5 lbs. peeled and sliced pears*

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tbs. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg 

1 tbs. lemon juice

2 tbs. Amaretto liquer*

Other spices if desired*

*If you don't have a food scale to weigh the sliced pears, I've found that once your pear slices almost completely fill the crock (leaving about an inch or half-inch of space from the top), then you're good to go.

*The Amaretto is purely optional, but I promise you, it adds a whole new dimension of flavor to the finished product. 

*Many people like to include additional spices such as cloves to their fruit butters. If you are one of those people, by all means, indulge! However, I often find such spices overwhelming, so I tend to exclude them from recipes. 

Add all ingredients to the crock and stir, so that the pears are thoroughly coated with sugar, spices, and liquid ingredients. Set the slow-cooker to high, and cook uncovered for roughly 12 hours, or until the mixture is dark brown and has reached a smooth consistency. Make sure to stir the mixture every few hours or so.

I, personally, alternate between leaving the crock-pot covered and uncovered throughout the cooking period. If I'm leaving my apartment for a while or letting the butter cook while I'm asleep, I tend to leave it covered, but otherwise, I leave it uncovered. Also, if the butter isn't reaching your desired consistency, use a potato-masher or similar implement to make it a bit more smooth. 

The finished product yields 4 half-pint jars. You can consume immediately (after a reasonable cooling period, of course), or you may can the finished product however you so choose. 

One of the added benefits to making this recipe is that your home will smell incredible for a couple of days. My roommate even commented, "It smells like a Yankee Candle store in here." -- I chose to take that remark as a complement. 

And here you have the finished product:

 (They may not be the prettiest pears in the world, but they make for some damn good pear butter!)

Enjoy!