Slow Cooker Pear And Apple Butter Food

APPLE PEAR BUTTER (SLOW COOKER RECIPE)

Steps:

• Add the pear and apple chunks to a blender, along with the apple cider and the apple cider vinegar.
• Blend the fruits with the liquids until smooth and no chunks remain, about 1 minute.
• Pour the contents of the blender into a slow cooker. Add the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, kosher salt, and vanilla extract to the puree. Stir the spices and sugar, and vanilla into the apple pear mixture to combine.
• Cover the slow cooker and set the temperature to high. Leave the cover of the slow cooker askew to allow steam to escape from the apple pear butter as it cooks.
• Cook the apple pear butter for 8-12 hours, stirring the apple pear butter once every hour.
• Once the apple pear butter is done, transfer it into clean mason jars or storage containers. If you do this while the apple pear butter is piping hot, the heat from it will help vacuum seal the lids on the jars.
• Store in the fridge for up to one month.Use it as a spread, topping, or mixed into your favorite recipes.

APPLE PEAR BUTTER WITH PIE CRUST DIPPERS

Steps:

• For the apple pear butter: Place the apples and pears in the insert of a slow cooker. Pour the apple cider and maple syrup over the fruit, then drop the tea bag in and sprinkle with the salt. Gently stir to coat the fruit, being mindful not to break the tea bag. Cover and set to cook on high until the fruit is completely tender, about 8 hours. Discard the tea bag.
• Scoop the fruit into the bowl of a food processor with a slotted spoon and pulse until smooth, working in batches if necessary, about 1 minute. Pour the fruit puree into a large nonstick pot. Place the pot over low heat and bring to a simmer, then simmer until the volume is reduced by a third and the color darkens and intensifies, 35 to 40 minutes.
• For the pie crust dippers: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Place the round of pie dough on a cutting board. Add a splash of water to the beaten egg and brush the crust with the egg wash. Combine the sugar, apple pie spice and salt in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the pie dough. Use a pizza cutter or knife to slice the round into 20 strips. Place on the lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
• Serve the butter alongside the pie crust dippers or store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks. If preparing in advance, allow to cool completely before covering and storing.

APPLE BUTTER FOR THE SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• Combine apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and cloves in a slow cooker.
• Cook on High until the apples are tender enough to easily mash with a fork, 4 to 6 hours.
• Puree apple mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack apple butter into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars into the boiling water using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary to bring the water level to at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

SLOW COOKER SPICED APPLE AND PEAR BUTTER

Steps:

• Cut the fruit into large chunks. Process the apples and pears in a food processor, working in batches, until finely grated. Transfer the fruit to the slow cooker.
• Sprinkle in the brown sugar, apple juice, molasses, allspice, cloves and salt, and add the cinnamon sticks. Cover and cook 4 to 6 hours on high heat.
• Remove the lid and reserve the cinnamon sticks. Carefully return the fruit, in batches, to the food processor and process until smooth. Transfer the processed fruit back to the slow cooker along with the cinnamon sticks. Continue cooking on high until thick and spreadable, another 2 to 4 hours. Allow the mixture to cool before transferring to sealed airtight containers.
• Refrigerate up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 3 months.

SLOW-COOKER PEAR AND APPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Peel, quarter, and core pears and apples. In a food processor, finely grate fruit (in batches, if necessary), then transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in dark-brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook on high, 4 hours.
• Remove cinnamon stick and reserve. Transfer mixture to processor (in batches, if necessary) and process until smooth. Return to slow cooker, along with cinnamon stick, and cook on high, uncovered, until mixture is thick and browned, 4 hours. Discard cinnamon stick and let mixture cool. Transfer to airtight containers and refrigerate, up to 3 weeks, or freeze, up to 3 months.

SLOW-COOKER PEAR BUTTER

Steps:

• Place spices on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose spices; tie securely with string. In a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker, toss remaining ingredients. Add spice bag, covering with pears., Cook, covered, on low 5-6 hours or until pears are tender. Remove spice bag., Puree pear mixture using an immersion blender. Or, cool slightly and puree mixture in a blender in batches; return to slow cooker., Cook, uncovered, on high 1-2 hours or until mixture is thickened to desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Store cooled pear butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pear butter in freezer containers up to 3 months. Liquids expand as they freeze, so leave extra room at the top of the freezer container. To use, thaw in refrigerator.

EASIEST SLOW COOKER APPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Estimate which slow cooker the drawerful of apples in the fridge will fit into. Note1: Wrinkled apples are not necessarily "bad". Granny Smiths can look nearly new but be mealy and browning under the skin (toss them), while Braeburn and especially Gala apples may look terrible, but the flesh is still unblemished and evenly colored. Cut out any bad spots, and often an apple browning on one side is fine on the other half. Use the other half. A slow cooker will hold this at 180F or higher for the first couple of hours, then at least 140 for a long time after that. After you cook, mill/sieve, season, cook and reduce by a third, there isnt much original apple shape left. Don't be obsessive. :-). Note 2: The flavor is in the peel, the pectin is in the core and the sugar is in the flesh. Don't peel or core the apples, just wash them, remove the stems and loose seeds, then cut out the "flower" parts opposite the stems, there tends to be powdery dirt and mold there.
• re note 2: Wash the apples, quartering most of them. Pick out any loose seeds. Toss the quarters in the slow cooker. Quarter and add the others if it looks like they will fit, otherwise set them aside.
• Set the cooker on high for at least an hour or two.
• Quarter and add any apples that did not fit, forcing them below the surface. Cook on high an additional hour or two. Skip this step if there were no extras.
• Place a food mill over a large bowl and ladle a portion of apples into it. Crank them through using downward force on the crank, reversing now and then to clear the screen. Pick out the seeds as you go. Repeat until all apples have been milled. You can use a sieve, but it will take a while. Discard the flakes of skin, seeds and stringy bits. Clean the mill IMMEDIATELY, the pulp is acidic and will stain the plating and rust any exposed steel.
• Blend the "applesauce" smooth with the stick blender if it makes you feel good. Clean the blender too.
• Dump them back into the slow cooker. Add: 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/8 - 1/4 tsp (scant) cloves, 1/2- 3/4 tsp cinnamon. Stir and taste. Cook on low for 8 - 12 hours. This should taste good with balanced flavors, but not strong. The seasoning will be concentrated as it cooks and you can adjust later. Note on sugar: Most recipes use double to triple the spices, then add somewhere between 1/2 cup to a full cup of sugar PER PINT of pulp. I suspect a lot of this sugar is to to preserve the butter in pre-refrigeration days and to counter the bitter undertaste of the spices. I tend to use less spice and little if any added sugar. You can always add more later.
• Taste and adjust seasoning, remove lid and cook another 2-4 hours. Keep a close watch and stir the thickened/solids at the edges into the rest. The pulp will darken from an over-cinnamoned applesauce color to chocolate or dark chocolate brown.
• Blend smooth with stick blender or that ice-crushing powered daiquiri pitcher on the counter.
• Chill and eat. Great on crepes, good on toast and I'm told even on steak.