Stewed Pears in a Slower Cooker

Illustration of a pear variety from the Herefordshire Pomona (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 This past week-end, my family gleaned some pears from the neighbor's very old tree. My sister was hankering after some stewed pears, so we got busy.

She cored and peeled the pears, while I sprinkled a little bit of this and a little bit of that until it was just right. I got inspiration from several different recipes, but was concerned when I turned on the Slow Cooker that maybe I over-did it on the number of ingredients.

No worries. They turned out heavenly. Even Papa, who rarely eats his fruits and vegetables, raved about them.

I'm thinking about cooking another batch for Thanksgiving. It's a super-simple, quick dessert that anyone, including kids, can make and it offers a slightly healthier alternative to all those pies and whip-creme.

15 or so Pears cored and peeled
2/3 a cup of Brown Sugar (couldn't find the Maple Syrup, otherwise I wouldn't have used the Brown Sugar)
3 tablespoons of Butter
3 teaspoons of Ginger Powder (didn't have any fresh or would have used that)
2 Cinnamon sticks
10 Cloves
1 cup of Apple Cider
1/2 cup of White Wine

Cook in Slow Cooker for 4 hours or until they are nice and soft. Unless, you prefer yours to still have a minor bite to them. Doesn't get much easier than that, does it?

I am awful grateful for all those free pears and for that lovely, nameless person who planted that tree many, many years ago.