Homemade pear puree has a wonderfully sweet taste and is ideal as baby food. These nutritious fruits are packed with vitamin C, folic acid and fiber, and they also contain prebiotics.
Why this
Recipe works
Simple first food for babies
Can be used to naturally sweeten other nutritious baby food recipes
Can be frozen and defrosted very well
Required ingredients
To make pear puree you only need pears and a little water.
Ripe pears
To make the best pear puree, you should start with ripe pears. The best way to tell when a pear is ripe is to lightly press the area at the base of the stem with your thumb. (The stem base is the part of the pear where the stem connects to the fruit.)
If your pears are not sufficiently ripe, you can place them on the kitchen counter at room temperature to ripen. An additional tip: Storing the pears in a fruit bowl with bananas can speed up the ripening process as bananas release the gas ethylene/ethene that causes the fruit to ripen.
Step-by-step instructions
Below is a visually presented step-by-step explanation of how to make my pear puree recipe. If you prefer just the written instructions, you can find them in the printable recipe card below.
Preparation :
Start by peeling the pears, removing the seeds, and slicing them thinly.
Step 1: Start by putting the pear pieces and water together in a pot. Cover the pot and simmer the mixture for 10-15 minutes, until the pears are soft and mash easily with a fork.
Step 2: Pour off the liquid but reserve it. Personally, I like to keep the liquid as it helps create a thicker puree for easy spooning.
Step 3: Proceed to puree or process the pears until you achieve a smooth consistency. If necessary, you can add some liquid as needed.
If you are pureeing the pears while they are still hot, note the need to ensure that your blender or food processing device is vented. It is important not to puree hot foods in a closed blender, such as a stand mixer, as pressure can build up and potentially lead to an adverse event.
Here are some useful tips for making pear puree perfectly:
1. Pureeing Safety: Make sure your blender or food processor can have ventilation if you puree pears while they are still hot. Avoid closed mixers such as ball blenders as pressure could build up and cause unwanted problems.
2. Freeze for later use: If you have excess pear puree, freeze it in ice cube trays. This makes it easy to access later and can be used for various dishes and recipes.
3. Use ripe pears: If your pears are very ripe and juicy and mash easily with a fork, you can even puree them without cooking them first.
4. With or without peel: The thin pear skins can be left in place when pureeing. This may result in a slightly less smooth consistency, but it will make the puree nutritious and delicious.
5. Accept grainy texture: Don't worry if your pear puree has a slightly grainy texture. This is the natural property of pears and is safe to serve to your baby.
