By We went to the orchard. Drove out on Saturday morning—the three of us plus my mother, who hadn't been to an apple orchard in fifteen years and was more excited than she would have admitted—and spent two hours walking the rows and picking Cortlands and Honeycrisps and one variety I hadn't heard of that the woman at the stand called a Macoun and said was the best eating apple in New England, which turned out to be true. Liam went in the carrier and grabbed at apples with both hands and got one into his mouth before I could redirect him—took a small determined bite with his two bottom teeth and made a face of profound assessment and then wanted more.
Six months old. He has two teeth, pulls to standing when given a surface to hold, babbles with the pacing of actual conversation, and has strong opinions about which foods are acceptable and which are not. Sweet potato: acceptable. Pureed peas: deeply suspect. The pureed peas face is a family classic at this point.
I made applesauce from the orchard apples—just apples, water, a little cinnamon, nothing else—and fed him a spoonful and he looked at me with what I can only describe as recognition. Like the flavor was familiar from somewhere he couldn't name. I gave him more. He ate it without the peas face. My mother watched from across the table with the expression she gets when things are landing right.
Autumn in earnest now. The leaves are turning on the drive to work. October is coming and it will be Liam's first one and I want to document everything even though I know I won't be able to and the effort is the point.
After we got home from the orchard with more apples than we could possibly eat in a week, and after the applesauce was made and Liam was asleep and my mother was still sitting at the kitchen table with her tea, I wanted something that would keep that warm, unhurried feeling going—something that filled the house with the smell of cinnamon and fall without any real effort. This slow-cooker spiced fruit was exactly that: a quiet, almost hands-off recipe that let the afternoon linger a little longer, the kind of thing you set up and then forget about while you’re rocking a sleepy six-month-old who still has apple on his chin.
Slow-Cooker Spiced Fruit
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 medium apples (such as Cortland, Honeycrisp, or Macoun), peeled, cored, and sliced
- 2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1 cup dried apricots, halved
- 1 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
- 1 can (15 oz) sliced peaches in juice, drained
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Combine the fruit. Add the sliced apples, pears, dried apricots, dried cranberries, and drained peaches to a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker. Stir gently to distribute evenly.
- Add the spice mixture. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit.
- Add liquid and butter. Pour the orange juice over everything, then scatter the butter pieces on top. Do not stir—let the layers stay as they are.
- Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until the fresh fruit is tender and the mixture is fragrant and syrupy. Stir once gently about halfway through if you like.
- Serve warm. Spoon into bowls on its own, or serve alongside vanilla ice cream, pound cake, or a dollop of whipped cream. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat beautifully.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 165 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 15mg