Cardamom-Vanilla Pear Applesauce

You know how I know I'm a food nerd? Because I nearly let out a little squeal of joy when I found a great deal on vanilla beans at Costco.

I love vanilla beans... like whoa. But I'm super-stingy with them because they're usually a bit on the pricey side. You've gotta be pretty special for me to consider giving up a precious vanilla bean.

Thanks to my cheap find, I've been using them a lot more without experiencing separation anxiety and pangs of loss.

I've mentioned before that I have real problems {duh} with letting food go to waste. So, when I woke up on Saturday morning and discovered that I had some very sad looking pears withering away, I was determined to salvage them. Wasted fruit? Not on my watch.

As is usually the drill with apples that get past their point of desirability, I thought I'd make some quick and easy "applesauce"... pearsauce. Whatever. Except instead of keeping it fairly plain, I added in a sprinkle of ground cardamom {the newest addition to my spice rack along with smoked paprika, and my latest obsession} and a cherished vanilla bean.

The result was this very luxurious peary applesauce. Thanks to the special ingredients, this isn't your average applesauce. The brown sugar gives it an almost caramel-like flavor and the warm cinnamon and cardamom add a hint of spice that takes it to the next level.

Totally worthy of a vanilla bean, if you ask me.

Save the squishy fruit! Make applesauce.

Cardamom-Vanilla Pear Applesauce

2 Bosc pears, peeled, cored & chopped
2 green Anjou Pears, peeled, cored & chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored & chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar {or less if you prefer your applesauce to be less sweet}
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 vanilla bean, split & beans scraped, pod reserved*
1 cinnamon stick {or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon}**
Pinch of salt

1. Place all ingredients {including the scraped vanilla bean pod} in a heavy-bottomed pot oven medium-high heat. Cover and bring to a bubble.

2. Reduce heat slightly and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes stirring every so often until fruit is tender and juices have been released.

3. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high. Cook uncovered, stirring often for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by about half. Be sure that the mixture does not scorch at the bottom as the sugar will burn if the heat is too high and you don't stir it.

4. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the vanilla bean & the cinnamon stick.

5. Carefully pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and process to desired consistency {my husband likes smooth applesauce, but if you prefer it with more texture, pulse instead.} As always, practice caution when blending hot/warm liquids!

Serve warm if desired or transfer into storage containers with an airtight lid and keep refrigerated.

*If you don't have vanilla beans, or refuse to give one up for this, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract after removing from heat before you blend it.

**You may use ground cinnamon instead if you prefer, but the result will be a stronger cinnamon flavor.

Caramel-Pear Butter

Oh my gosh, guys. The end of October is almost here, which is just crazy because I have posted exactly ONE Fall-like recipe this entire month.

That's just not ok.

:::Raising right hand::: Starting today, I vow that I will focus on posting more pumpkiny, squashy, cinnamony, spicy things.

There. Now let's get to it.

I'm easing into all this Fall goodness with something sweet, and fruity, and fabulous.

Caramel-Pear Butter

What is it? Well, a bit of a fib, for starters.

Because it contains neither caramel nor butter. {Who names these things?}

It's the same type of "Butter" as Apple Butter; a sweet, thick spread that goes well with all kinds of goodies. And as for the Caramel, I think the brown sugar in the recipe lends some of that rich, sugary flavor that makes caramel so delicious.

The truth is, once you spread this on a muffin, smear it on a biscuit, or frost a cupcake with it, you won't really care what it's called.

I'd call it, "Fall in a Jar". That's what it tastes like to me.

If you don't think this recipe is important today, make sure you keep an eye out for what I use it in this week... you'll love it. And I wouldn't lie about that. ;)

Caramel-Pear Butter
Adapted from Epicurious

2 1/2 pounds {about 4-5 good sized} Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, & chopped into about 1/2 inch cubes
3 tablespoons apple juice or apple cider
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
A pinch of salt

1. In a medium pot, toss together apple juice or cider, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and chopped pears. {Lemon juice keeps pears from browning, so you should toss them in as soon as they are cut.}

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the pears begin to release their own juices, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Turn down heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the pears are very tender, about 20 more minutes

4. Scoop softened pears into a blender and blend until almost smooth. {Be careful blending anything hot - it tends to make liquids explode from the blender! You may want to let it cool slightly before beginning to process. You can leave it a bit chunky if you prefer that consistency instead.}

5. Return pear puree to pot and stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt.

6. Simmer on medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture has thickened to desired consistency, about 1 hour. {Remember, it will thicken quite a bit more once it is cooled.}

7. Pour into a jar and allow to cool before sealing.

Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups of Caramel-Pear Butter.