Pear Sauce

I've been really digging my new crockpot, and using it every chance I get. I've been on this kick lately to make homemade fruit sauces- why pay for them at the grocery store when you can make them homemade, control the ingredients that goes in it, and it is cheaper than buying it pre-made? I love my homemade applesauce, and even tried a variation of it by making cran-applesauce. Pears just went on a crazy sale last week, so I picked up a few pounds and guess what? I am making pear sauce tonight! Yep, you read that right. It is just like applesauce... only with pears. I cooked them on HIGH for 4 hours but it wasn't soft enough so I added 2 additional hours and they turned out perfect.

Fruit sauces make great toppings to oatmeal and my personal favorite- fat-free cottage cheese- and you can eat it alone as a healthy dessert as well. I also like substituting it for oil in baking/quick bread recipes to cut down the fat and calories. I'm also making this for my "niece" Anna, who just turned 7 months and has started eating pureed foods! Since I didn't want to add any sugar or spices (cinnamon), I kept this purely pears, but I did notice that it wasn't as naturally sweet as the apples. Thus, I would add a little brown sugar or Splenda, as well as a dash of cinnamon the next time I make it.

Ingredients:
6-8 pears, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks (I have a 4-qt slow cooker, so this is how many I can fit inside comfortably. I used Bartlett pears.)
Splash of lemon juice

Directions:
1. Toss your pears into your slow cooker.
2. Add the lemon juice, and toss to evenly coat.
3. Cook on Low for 8-10 hours or High for 6 hours.
4. Use a potato masher to mash up the pears, or place in food processor/blender to puree it to your desired consistency.

Yields: 4 cups

Source: A Piggly-Wiggly original