Recently I bought a whole bunch of juicy pears. I also had a bunch of carrots. *boom* Sparks started flying and instead of my usual homemade applesauce I decided to combine ripe green D’anjou pears with a few carrots. I have to tell you that the combination with some chai spices is irresistible.
Your house will smell amazing as pear & carrot combine with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and a dash of black pepper…
For me I only like to eat pears out of hand when they are just ripe. Not too ripe. I enjoy some crispness and snap to each bite.
As soon as pears ripen they need to be eaten rather quickly. They get brown and squishy fast, if you see this happening make some pear sauce quick! Just chop ’em up, put them in a pan and heat for about 25 minutes. Purée and you are done. Add some spices if you wish.
The carrots are a playful & well worth it twist.
Carrots might sound a bit unusual to add to your pear sauce, but don’t over think it. Just do it.
The color of this pear-carrot sauce stunning! Dreamy jewel like. The carrot taste is subtle and just right. The pear comes through more and the carrot accents that.
Other than by itself or in parfaits I love to bake with pear sauce. Check out this Pear Spice Cake with Toasted Walnuts recipe I created last fall. I must bake one up again asap.
Take a look at how different these pears look at the same time of day with different angles. That color and light play always amazes me. Here we have the fruit backlit. They appear a lot more yellow than green.
Where they look their true green color they are shot more from the side. Amazing the different moods that are created just by moving your body around the subject.
The bright green of the crunchy pistachios is fun against the orange and white of the parfaits.
If you are not vegan thick greek yogurt is a nice protein boost. If you don’t do dairy how about some soy yogurt? This sauce would also make great baby food. No pistachios for the babies though OK?!
See the brown swirl? That is black strap molasses. This unrefined sweetener has a very distinct flavor and can be found in recipes like gingerbread and baked beans. It tastes amazing in these parfaits. A little goes a long way when it comes to the flavor of molasses.
It is not cloying sweet…just sweet enough.
Do you make homemade fruit sauces? I have lots of applesauce recipes you can cook up. Another one that is orange in color and out of this world is my Pumpkin Vanilla Applesauce. You can see those in my apples category on my recipe page.
Have you ever made or tasted pear sauce? What spices do you like to add? Do you ever bake with fruit sauce?
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Pear Recipe Links
- Honey Poached Pears with Star Anise Jungle Frog Cooking
- Marzipan Pear Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Sweetapolita
- Pear Caramel Ice Cream Perry’s Plate
- Pear Spice Cake with Toasted Walnuts MarlaMeridith.com
- Pears with Cacao Ganache and Cinnamon Rawmazing
- Riesling Poached Pear Tart with Chai Custard and Almond Crust Roost
This post has been included in TidyMom’s I’m Lovin it Fridays
What a great combination. And beautiful photos!
Yum! You have a lucky family of taste-testers. This looks divine…
Yum! This sounds great and I was just getting ready to puree a batch of carrots tonight for my little guy. I have Pears ripening too so perfect timing!
this looks like heaven in a jar! pears are the best.
What an interesting combination of flavours, I would never have thought of putting pear and carrot together! It looks beautiful though and I love the colour.
Great parfaits for fall!
Sounds WONDERFUL to me!!!
this looks perfectly fall. love the jar.
What a creative combination! Beautiful photos, too. Thanks for linking up to my ice cream post! 🙂
Gorgeous! These look so delicious!
This is so creative Marla! The colors in these photos are just gorgeous!
This dessert sounds fabulous! Can’t wait to get my hands on some pears!
Love baking with apple sauce to keep things light and moist – this would be a great substitution – love the sweetness and orange of carrots.
You are getting so innovative and cutting edge with your food combinations and recipes. Your photography and styling has been a true gift of genius even from the beginning. Truly a professional.
What a neat idea – carrot and pear. Love the spices too.
Wow, now thats creative! Who woul dof thought carrot and pears! I may give this a try!! Thanks!
What an intriguing flavor combination, Marla! I like the way you’ve combined two familiar fall flavors in a new way.
This looks so amazing! I can only imagine how good this smells and tastes!
Marla… everytime I come here I am just blown away by your talent! Your pictures tell the most beautiful story. Great job!
What a delicious idea – your photos are simply beautiful!
Marla, just gorgeous! Like something out of a magazine! Both the photography, the recipe, the food styling!! love the glass jars…and natural elements you brought into the pics…spectacular 🙂
Hope the mountains have been good to you!
Averie, the mountains were inspiring & amazing. Must get back there soon!
A delightful creation! That sauce sounds amazing.
Cheers,
Rosa
Love the carrots and pears together! What a great idea.
So weird. I unknowingly made pear sauce for my breakfast for tomorrow morning without even knowing it or looking at your recipe! So odd. They are so similar! Can’t wait to try it. I mixed it in with chia seeds for a thick and delicious chia pudding!
Leanne, the chia seeds are such a great idea! A nice way to thicken & great a vegan energy boost 🙂
Oh my gosh, this might be my favorite recipe yet from you girl. It looks so delicate and natural tasting and… oh wow. I want to make this.
Georgia, such sweet words. Thanks girl! Coming from you that means so much. You have such a refined palate & great taste. Delicate & natural – that is certainly what this sauce is 🙂
Marla, I’m so intrigued by the beautiful colors and flavors you’ve thrown together here. The chai spices are so perfect here!
Sounds amazing!
I love the color. Never thought of putting pear and carrot together. Sounds delish!
What an interesting combination – I’m all about using vegetables in sweet dishes. I will have to keep this idea in mind next time I make a fruit sauce. Thanks!
I know, veggies in sweet dishes add such a great dimension of flavor + another serving of veggies. Great in every way!
What a great fall combo. I love pears and pairing them with sweet carrots sounds really really good! Thanks for sharing Marla!
These not only sound yummy but are beautiful too!
Love the colors and this combination. I would have never thought to pair carrots with pears but it is a great idea!
Your pear-carrot sauce is a brilliant twist on applesauce, Marla! Love that pretty shade of orange and the crunch from pistachio on top!
HOLY FRIJOLES Marla! This looks like a super fantastic recipe. I am pinning for future! I have tons of carrots still in my garden that are screaming to be used. Just gorgeous! Come to Eastern WA and show me how to get pics that gorgeous. Pretty please? 🙂 Happy Tuesday!!
xoxo
Heather
Hi Heather! I would love to come visit you there. We would have a blast taking photos, plus I bet the fall colors are stunning right now. Lucky you to have all those home grown carrots 🙂
What a winning combination. I know it was just delicious. Come visit. We have a terrific pumpkin panna cotta this week.
Excellent and yummy recipe! I love the jar you used for presentation. With soy yogurt would be OK for me too. Thanks you for this remarkable pear sauce recipe.
Have a great week 🙂
Thanks Mari. I can’t get enough of those little Ball jars. Love that I can bake in them too!
This sounds and looks fabulous. Hope you’re having a great week
I love black strap molasses. These parfaits are so pretty and the flavor combination is perfect for fall. Your photos are so pretty, Marla. I love the one with the cup and the pistachios tumbling out. gorgeous. xx
Thanks Lora! I had gobs of fun with this sunny photo shoot. Glad you like the clicks. Lots of pistachios being used over here lately. I will also be using the molasses a whole lot more. xo
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness…. that is everything my mouth has been crying out for lately. And beautiful photography! I love it!
I’ll bet these taste just as lovely as they look! Gorgeous photos and the flavors definitely put me in the mood for fall.
Now how cool is this? Seriously, I love the cute little jars you put it in and how colorful it is. I love chai much less paired with pear and carrots! YUM! Awesomely yum ( yes I realize that is not a word! :))
Great combination and a yummilicious idea! and gorgeous gorgeous clicks M! 🙂
I love this, Marla! It looks so beautiful…your photographs are always so gorgeous!
Delicious ingredients makes for perfect fall comfort food. Those parfaits definitely is a must try. Your food photography always leaves me drooling, Marla 😀
These looks so delicious, perfect for the fall weather 🙂
Oh momma, that looks so amazing Marla! And your photos in this post are unreal. I think everything should be served in little jars. 😉
Beautiful, Marla! The flavor combination sounds surprisingly good!
sounds awesome!!!!
This recipe is absolutely gorgeous and unique, Marla. Your photos are stunning as well! Thanks so much for the mention 🙂
The flavor combo sounds very fall – and very dreamy.
Oh wow….the flavors you chose….I love it! I bet this is delicious!
Those are looking so cool and refreshing and good!
Oh my, these are so good! I took a bite and literally started singing (after I swallowed–otherwise that would have been gross). Wow, this recipe is totally a keeper!!
Followed here via Indian Simmer. Love, love the photos and the sauce recipe. Bookmarking!! Thanks!
I found the pear carrot sauce recipe and can’t wait to try it. You asked if anyone had made pear sauce before, so I thought I would share my recipe which I serve with ginger bread and whipped cream for Christmas:
Pear Sauce
Peel, core and quarter pears. Place in pan with sugar and water and cook over low heat, covered, until pears are very tender–about 30 minutes. Mash well or whirl in food processor. Add remaining ingredients. Serve warm or chilled over gingerbread with whipped cream and grated nutmeg.
8 winter (anjou) pears
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/8 tsp salt
1Tblsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
do you peel the pears?
Hi Lizzie, most of the time when I cook with fruit I do not peel it. Including in this recipe 🙂