Roasted Pear and Apple Sauce

This dish is so, so, so much more than your regular stove-top applesauce.  I really couldn't get enough of it!  The pears and apples are a wonderful combination, and are so well complemented by a little citrus zest, a little brown sugar, and cinnamon.  The overall flavor tastes rich and incredibly well balanced.  I tasted it, and then I cussed because it was so good!

My husband tasted it, and said that it was "pretty good."  Hmph, what does he know?

This is very easy to make, especially if you're going to be in the kitchen or around the house doing other things.  It can be served hot, at room temperature, or cold.  I served it as a side to a vegetarian entree, but it would also be a great complement to roasted chicken or to some sausage.  It would also be lovely as dessert, topped with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

And it makes a delicious snack...which I would know about, because it's gone already!

Roasted Pear and Apple Sauce
serves 6
adapted from Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?  by Ina Garten


Ingredients:
zest and juice of 1 large naval orange
zest and juice of 1 half of a lemon
1.5 lbs apples (try Macoun or Empire) (about 4)
1.5 lbs ripe Bosc pears (about 3)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 Tbsp unsalted butter (Smart Balance, or a trans fat free substitute will work)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
2. Zest and juice the orange and half of the lemon.  Place the zest and juice in an enameled cast iron Dutch oven.
3. Peel, core, and quarter the fruit, placing the chunks in the Dutch oven.
4. Add the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon.  Cover the pot.
5. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, until the fruit is tender.  (The apples will turn to mush on their own.)
6. Use a whisk to mix until you have a smooth sauce with a few chunks.  The apples will fall apart, but the pears will break up into small chunk.