Applesauce
There are all sorts of things that people make that I know are good but I have yet to be convinced that its worth my time. Applesauce was one of those things. The time required to make it compared to the end result never seemed like a worthwhile investment. I like a good bang for your time buck and since applesauce is always something added to other ingredients and is never the star of the show, I never gave it a try. But then we went apple picking. Now apple picking has a funny way of ridding you of all sensible decision making skills starting with your ability to purchase a reasonable amount of apples. Since that is exactly what happened to me, I figured this would be the year that I gave applesauce a chance. So I made a batch and was instantly blown away. I became obsessed. Not only did it transform my oatmeal game I started looking for ways to add it to every meal. I was putting it on my ice cream. That’s right. I chose Applesauce over chocolate sauce. Perhaps you will too now.
A warm pot of apples simmering with winter spices is exactly what we all need right now. It’s incredibly cozy. Peeling the apples is a bit time consuming but it is definitely worth it.
Let’s talk about apple peel for a sec. I love absolutely love the depth of flavor that the apple peel adds but if you don’t have a food mill it is a bit of a pain. I don’t have a food mill and have no intention of buying another kitchen gadget that has only one purpose and is fairly seasonal. I first tried not peeling the apples thinking that once it all cooked down I could just fish the peels out. Nope. Too time consuming. I just ended up leaving it in, which I didn’t mind but the family wasn’t that in to it. I assumed there would be more of you not so into large chunks of peels so I tried a few other tricks and ended up with a simple enough solution. After peeling the apples I puréed the peels in the food processor. This way you get the bonus flavor from the peel without sacrificing the texture.
I exercised restraint when adding spices to this recipe and I’m so glad I did. It would be so easy to overdo it with the cinnamon and other spices which would overpower the apple. This is why whole spices instead of ground is key. I don’t often cook with star anise and its sublet licorice flavor is so delightful next to the earthy cinnamon and floral cardamom.
This was such a surprising discovery for me. I am now an unapologetic homemade applesauce evangelist. I know apples have a season but grocery stores seem to have forgotten this fact so as long as I can find apples in the store, I will make applesauce.
Applesauce
Ingredients
- 4 lbs apples (a mix of tart and sweet apples works best)
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 5 cardamom pods
- 2 whole star anise
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel and core the apples and cut in half or quarters. Place the apple peels in a food processor with 1/2 cup of water and process for 2-3 minutes until the peels are puréed. Place all the ingredients and the remaining water in a Dutch oven or large pot with a lid. Cook over medium low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The applesauce is done when the apples have completely broken down with some larger chunks still intact.