I have a problem. A canning problem, that is. I am more than a little obsessed with it lately. When I saw local Bosc pears on super-sale the weekend before we left for Italy, I had to scoop some up to can. Even though we were leaving the country in 72 hours and had a million other things to do. See? Told you I had a problem.
I love the pear and apple mix in this sauce, and the little bits of sugar and spices really brings out the fruity fall flavors. Enjoy!
And if you aren’t into canning, a) you need to come visit me, and I’ll teach you how to do it and b) you can halve the recipe. Unsealed, the sauce should be fine in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
Pear-Kissed Applesauce
Makes 3 1/2 pints, plus a little extra
Inspired by Food & Wine’s Pear-Spiked Applesauce
3 lb apples
1 lb Bosc pears
1 1/2 c water
2 T cinnamon
2 tsp cloves
1/4 c turbinado sugar
Core and chop the apples and pears into 1″ pieces. Place the fruit and water into a crock pot, cover, and turn on high. Allow to cook for 2 hours, then use an immersion blender to break the fruit down further. Add the spices and sugar, and allow to cook for another 2 hours. Blend once more before canning.
Savvy Tip: If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can process the preserves in batches in a food processor or blender.
While the applesauce cooks, prepare for canning. Wash the jars and flat lids with hot, soapy water. Put the jars in the canning pot and fill the pot with hot water. Heat over medium-high heat to keep the jars hot. Place the lids in a heat-proof bowl.
When the sauce is almost done, move some of the boiling water from the canning pot into the heat-proof bowl containing the lids. Line the hot jars up on a folded towel, then pour the water out of the heat-proof bowl and off the lids.
Fill the jars with applesauce up to ¼” below the rim. Use a clean towel to wipe any preserves off the rims, then top each jar with a lid and a tightened ring. Place the jars back in the canning pot and make sure they are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes. Place the jars on a folded towel and allow to sit, undisturbed, for 24 hours. Check the seals of the lids after 1 hour. If a seal has not formed, refrigerate the jar immediately.
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This post is part of a series featuring recipes from the FOOD & WINE archive. As a FOOD & WINE Blogger Correspondent, I was chosen to do four recipes a week from FOOD & WINE. I received a subscription to FOOD & WINE for my participation.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh this looks heavenly! I have some apples at home that are just aching to be used in something like this
I believe I’ve found this weekend’s project!
Yum…I can’t wait to try this! You’re inspiring me to try canning, but it just seems so…I don’t know…overwhelming?
I’ve also seen random recipes that use an immersion blender, but never was tempted to buy one. Maybe it is worth it, after seeing this glorious looking pear applesauce…we’ll see what the husband says!
This was one of my favorite combinations of the season! The flavors meld so well together.