SAUCY APPLES 'N' PEARS

"Let your slow cooker do dessert duty, so all you have to do is pick up a supermarket rotisserie chicken on your way home from an afternoon of mall shopping. Serve this fruity combo over purchased pound cake or ice cream."

3 Gala apples (about 1-1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced
3 Anjou or Bartlett pears (about 1-1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup (pure, not artificially flavored)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup raisins (dark or golden)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch*

Place apple, pear and lemon juice in a 4 1/2-quart electric slow cooker, toss gently.

Combine brown sugar, syrup and butter. Spoon mixture over fruit. Stir in pecans, raisins and cinnamon.

Cover and cook on LOW 5 1/2 hours.

Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl, stir until well blended. Stir cornstarch mixture into fruit.

Cover and cook 20 minutes or until slightly thickened; stir well.

*Cornstarch is preferred to thicken fruit sauces because it doesn't mask the fruit's color and texture; however, if cooked too long, cornstarch loses its thickening power, causing the sauce to become thin.

Makes 4 1/2 cups (serving size about 1/3 cup)
Source: Cooking Light Slow Cooker Cookbook