MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 Title: Pear Butter Categories: Crockpot, Sauce Yield: 14 Servings 5 lb Bartlett pears 3/4 c Brown sugar (optional) 1 tb Ground cinnamon 1/4 ts Ground nutmeg 1 lg Orange peel strip - (optional) Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 420 minutes This slow cooker (or crockpot) recipe for homemade pear butter is made with ripe Bartlett pears with their skin left on, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar! The slow-cooked pear butter is thick, spreadable, and bursting with fruit flavor. Enjoy the condiment as a spread on toast or as a topping for pancakes! Wash, core, and slice the pears. Do not peel the pears but do remove any weird brown spots or blemishes. Place the prepared pears into the slow cooker. Add the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss to coat. Add the orange peel onto the top of the pears. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours. You'll know it is done when everything mushes up well when you test it with a fork or masher. Remove the orange peel and puree the pears with an immersion blender or transfer the pears to a blender and puree well. The immersion blender will make it more chunky. While you are working on blending the pear butter, make sure the slow cooker remains on high temperature and keep the lid on it to maintain the heat. Give your blended pear butter a little taste and add more sugar if you'd like it to be more sweet. Return the pureed pear butter to the slow cooker and continue to cook for one hour on high with the lid off. Place the pear butter into clean jars and seal with lids. Refrigerate until cooled. Serve on bread, toast, crackers, muffins, pancakes, or as a fruit dip. This will keep, tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It freezes well. Just leave a little "head space" for expanding when it freezes. Recipe by Cindy Rainey Recipe FROM: MMMMM